The North Star
by Night-Light11
Summary: A frivolous wish is given under the light of the North Star landing Elsa and Hans in the absence of all that they knew. Will they be able to see their true importance while finding their way home? What else will they find along the way?
1. To Wish Upon A Star

**The North Star**

A frivolous wish is given under the light of the North Star landing Elsa and Hans in the absence of all that they knew. Will they be able to see their true importance while finding their way home? What else will they find along the way?

**Welcome! I hope you enjoy this story. I'm a little fascinated by the potential of exploring Hans and in that, delving into Elsa's character further. I am my own beta and love reviews!**

Cover art edited from original image by Maby-chan on Deviantart

* * *

The skies were clear and bright with a low-rested moon that allowed the speckling of stars above to shimmer at full brightness. It wasn't much but it was a sight more than most of the other cells.

Hans Westergard of the Southern Isles held them in his gaze with fascination. The shadows of his bars streaked his face in darkness. It had become a small pleasure that his confinement allowed and so, every night, he would go to the small window and breathe in the air. Despite the warmth of summer, in these evening hours he could swear the scent of winter curled in the breeze, hinting at the transition that was fast approaching in the coming weeks.

It had been three weeks prior that he had returned to face down his father and brothers in their kingdom. And his mother, Queen Yvonne. She had been the hardest to withstand...

* * *

_Three Weeks Ago_

"Oh, Hans..."

"Please don't look at me like that, mother."

It was an impossible request and he could not tear his eyes away from the saddened features that were painted across the face of the Queen. The guards had left her alone with him and now they both stood within his prison; she in her silken fineries and he in the linens of a commoner.

There was a drawn pause that neither dared to break for several moments. When it did, it was her soft, pleading tone that asked, "Why?"

Hans swallowed and looked away in embarrassment. Had she not seen? After all of these years?

"I just wanted," his voice caught on the word and he corrected himself. "I needed him to see me. To respect me, as his son." His hand clenched with the refreshment of his anger budding inside. When he looked back at her, he knew that her tears would not be spared. "I wanted to prove to him that we are just as good as his firsts. All of my work, sitting in the shadows of the rest of them, and it has never been good enough. He has never shown you the same regard as Elise. After all that you have done for him, he has never loved you or us as much as them..."

The slap was to be expected but it stung worse than he thought it might.

"Sigurd is your father. You should be proud and honored to have a place under his name and under his roof."

Hans bit his tongue, letting the anger brew as it always did, and regret unwillingly dug in its sharp claws. His back straightened proudly, arms at his sides.

The Queen released a breath of sadness. This time, when her hand touched his cheek it was with the gentle cusp of her palm. Her thumb circled at the corner of his eye in a loving caress that brought him comfort since he was but a child.

"My son. My son..." she spoke gently, willing him to take her words to heart. "You, and Jens, and Henrik...my boys. You have grown into such fine young men. I have given you all that I can in this world, haven't I? I have seen you with women. They fawn over you despite the limitations before you." She smiled and curled a piece of his hair away from his face. "Would that not be enough? To take one of them for your wife? To live the life of a nobility?"

Hans clenched his jaw at her suggestions. "It would never be enough for him and you know that."

Yvonne pulled her hand away from her son's face, "It would not but how is this better? Attempted murder? Treason? Against Arendelle no less. Queen Idun was such a lovely..."

"A lovely guest," he finished for her. "I know, mother. You have spoken of it frequently. The facts are, we barely knew the woman. While you were off having your afternoon socials, we were off learning to be men." He pronounced the ending with bitterness. "Arendelle has been closed off for so long and it is one of the best catches in the past hundred years, perhaps, for an alliance. What I did is no different than what Ulrik has done in the East, only he didn't get caught."

"Ulrik is a brute. And what he did to that poor girl..." the Queen held her hands to her heart. "You are better than that, Hans. You were always meant for more..."

"I was trying for more! It should have been easy! It was all coming together and no one else needed to be hurt!" His voice was gruff with desperation. Surely she could see. She had to see it. His fists clenched tightly.

"But they were, and now your father..."

Hans turned away with a scoff, lifting his head up to the beam of afternoon sunlight that tilted just inside the reach of his window until the warmth brushed across his face. His voice softened, "Now he gets to show just how disappointed he is in me all over again."

"Hans..."

He didn't want to look at her any more. The disappointment was evident in her every word and he could barely stand it. His trial would be announced soon enough and there was little doubt how that would go. He was the thirteenth son and of a second marriage. He would be written off for his failure.

"You should go. I didn't sleep well last night and dinner will be around before I know it."

"Hans," she repeated sadly, reaching out to touch his arm.

He gave a sigh at her touch and his shoulders lowered with resignation. He lifted his own hand to cover hers, patting it with some reassurance before he found the courage to look at her again. He offered what smile he could. He was always good at pretending. "Go, mother. I'll still be here in the morning."

* * *

The trial had not been announced that week or in the next or in the next. It didn't matter in the end. Not really. Even the meager helping of books did nothing to distract him from the destruction of his own condemnation.

"It's all my fault," he found himself whispering into the empty space of his cell. "Would I have really...?" _Killed her_? The question had been repeating itself over and over again. The answer beat at his chest harder than he would have wished. _Yes_. If it had worked. If he could have seen his father's face on learning that his son had taken control of Arendelle. If it would have brought respect to his mother and his full brothers.

Would that moment have haunted him for the rest of his days? _Yes_. As much as the events already were. Every night, he saw her there. That moment of vulnerability where she sat on the ice like a delicate icicle. That moment when he had betrayed her sister. The hopelessness and disbelief in Anna's innocent, naive eyes. Every turn, he told her what she wanted to hear and she ate it up like every woman who stepped into their own courts. They were no different.

An echo of an ache lined his jaw as he remembered her solid punch. A hint of a smile crossed his lips and he rubbed the spot. Perhaps...a little different.

He had killed before. In battle. Among men who would have plundered the people and raped the women. He had fought for what was right once. For what was honorable and good. But Elsa...her sobs, her pleading eyes, they haunted his nights. Even worse, the way he had closed off his heart haunted his days. He was no better than the sorry excuse for brothers he had. Now, he would rot in this very cell, left to dwell on the events that led him here. It was a fitting punishment.

Hans rose from his cot and made his way to the small window of his cell. It was a luxury he didn't deserve but was eternally grateful for. Bare fingers wrapped around the cold steel bars as his gaze turned up. It looked beyond the rising towers of the castle until they settled on the patches of open night sky and the lights brushed the shadows from his face.

* * *

The same stars that resided in the skies above the Southern Isles reached far and wide. The lights glimmered in whites and golds. With the moon at a distance there was no competition to their beauty. The brightest of these was the North Star. It hung in place, guiding many travelers across land and sea when they found themselves on even the most desolate paths.

It watched over the rolling lands of the Southern Isles and the long stretches of beach where the waters lapped up to the kingdom's docks. Then it continued out across the oceans and danced in the dangerous waves. The starlight touched out in every direction, even finding its way to the Arendelle fjord where the waters were calm and soothing between the great, green-covered cliffs. The shadows of walled towers parted for the soft glow as it climbed over the rooftops and settled among the open pathways and gardens that thrived in the late of summer.

One such garden was enclosed by the safety of the castle gates. Great doors peeked open as a single figure quickly walked out into the night. There was a trail of frost in her wake as the woman's bare feet touched the paved walkway and her fists clenched as she took in ragged deep breaths. Her eyes closed before she pushed herself forward, her nightgown fluttering at her heel. Elsa had forgotten her robe in her hurry but at the late hour there would be none to be mindful of such a small act of impropriety. The trees swayed high above and still she went further until soon she was engulfed in the light of the stars under an open sky.

Her chest was tight and the Queen still struggled to breathe. It had only been a nightmare. One that had left her bed covered in a spray of snow. She hadn't taken the time to clean it before making a rush to the open air where she hoped she could breathe again.

She had dreamed. The world was once again in darkness and ice and instead of the dreamy laughter of children the voices rang for her head.

Elsa couldn't understand it. She was better than she could ever remember, and yet the fear still lingered enough to pull at her in the darkest hours. It still taunted her with the raw power that would just take one moment of weakness. One flicker of a reaction where her control was lost.

That was it though, wasn't it? Control. It was always about control. Even with her understanding of the other side of the spectrum. She had discovered that love could thaw it all. It could fix the icy stranglehold of her misdirected powers. But what of the rest? She could never just...be. As a Queen. As this...Snow Queen. As a woman. There were too many expectations. Too many responsibilities that her sister, Anna, could not fathom even now. The happiness and the livelihood of the Arendelle people remained in her hands and a simple nightmare was already unraveling her.

The past few weeks had felt like a continual pattern: one step forward and two steps back. Her sister was safe and happy; in this budding of a relationship she had with the Iceman. The people were happy and despite the occasional looks and whispers behind her back, they were accepting of her powers. And she was powerful. It always came down to power. Kingdoms had appeared out of the shadows, longing to align themselves with this newly reestablished land. Alliances that, for all of her council, were still left in her hands to provide the final judgments. For good or for bad. And they all expected the best of her.

Elsa, the Snow Queen of Arendelle. Daughter of the late King Adgar and Queen Idun.

Elsa sighed. Her perfectly adapted posture slumped just the slightest in the shoulders and her legs felt weak. The tears came unbidden, longing for a release in the late hour. All these years, she wished she could have asked her parents if they were proud of the woman she had become. Was this what they wanted of her? Was she making the right decisions? Was her life forever to be a swirling storm of political games and faces?

Her heart pounded until she couldn't even hear the leaves that raked the branches nearby. The evening air seemed stifled and she was too warm. Even with her powers, she doubted they could help until the feeling passed. This was the second time in the current week. Several new dignitaries had gathered earlier in the evening and again, she was confronted (in the most polite ways, of course) about the prospects of marriage.

First, it had been fear over her powers. Fear for herself. Fear for Anna. Fear that she was a monster.

Now, it the fear was more personal. She was already Queen. All she wanted was to portray herself with dignity but she had heard the rumors. They had spread like wildfire. _Frigid Queen_. _Cold hands_. _Be careful of that one, she's been known to freeze hearts_. Romantic relationships were the least thing on her mind, but she couldn't help the sharp sting of each remark as they dug a little deeper with each blow. Instead, she lived in the warmth of Anna's glow.

Oh, how her sister thrived in even the simple things of the world. She could take any situation and make the best of it. Truthfully, Elsa envied her. She always had. To live with such freedom that she had only tasted in the briefest interlude up on that mountain.

Elsa turned her gaze towards the towering shadows. It was too dark to make out much beyond the outline of slopes and cliffs. The starlight aided just enough and she suspected it was behind that great darkness that the light of the moon hid. Her breathing had slowed and the ache was becoming a little less with each passing moment.

"Has it all been worth it?" she whispered up towards the skies.

* * *

Two figures stood on either side of the seas, both with heavy hearts and desperation in their veins. Their bodies echoed of vulnerability and doubt.

Elsa's words continued as her gaze fixed onto the brilliance of the North Star, "I have been the cause of so much hurt for so long. Am I the leader I should be?"

A surge of anger spread through Hans and he pulled back his hands, slamming the palms into the slab covered wall. A shout of frustration rang out before his voice raised with a curse up at the star, "It's never enough. Not for any of them!"

"Anna deserves better. My parents..." Elsa's words caught with a stifled sob. "They deserved so much more."

As quickly as it had overcome him, the anger began to fade, leaving Hans feeling...defeated. "I failed, as they expected of me. As they have always expected."

Elsa shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. She lifted her chin again, trying to gather herself together. Still, the doubt of the late hour, nightmares still fresh in her mind, drew her words up to the star above, "Sometimes I wish that..."

In his cell, there was the faintest tremble in Hans' voice, "I just wish that..."

Across the miles, their voices echoed under the light of the stars, "...I had never been born."

There was a deep sigh as Hans turned away. His back pressed to the wall. He felt weak with exhaustion, eyes closing and chin dipping to his chest. His hand rubbed the bridge of his nose as he struggled to draw a breath. There was a tightness in his chest but he defiantly held back the strangled sob that threatened to escape.

Elsa continued to watch the skies. Her blue eyes held onto the North Star with fascination even as it blurred under her tears. The light shimmered and wavered. The Queen was thankful for the cool breeze that now tugged at her nightgown before wrapping around her as a blanket. Her tears became thicker with the sting in her throat until the light above appeared brighter than it had. Drawing a hand to wipe away her weakness, she once more lifted her chin to the skies and her gaze narrowed. The Star was not simply brighter...

Hans opened his eyes to find that the light around him was shifting like the flicker of a fire. The soft, white glow continued to waver and his thoughts turned from his sorrows.

"What is...?" His eyes lifted up out of the window until it caught onto the North Star. His brow furrowed and his lips pursed with confusion as the distant light became...larger?

It was not simply brighter, but the Star was larger. Elsa took a half a step back but she could not turn away. It was trembling now and approaching with a strange speed. Even as it drew closer and closer, the light brilliant and illuminating the garden in its white glow, Elsa could not move from its sights.

Hans had no where to go. The Star was falling...not falling, shooting...towards his window with a speed that held him with a fascination that gripped his body in place. He took a half a step back but within moments the light was upon him. His arm came up to shield his face from the brilliance.

The light was warm, spreading across Elsa in a way she couldn't describe as she had never felt such a sensation. Her arms came up to shield her face from the light but it did no good. It was everywhere. With a sharp flash, a cry escaped her lips as she was encased in the light.

Just as soon as the warmth caress of the light had surrounded them both, it was gone; replaced by the sharp sting of cold and a darkness that drew the two figures into unconsciousness.

* * *

**It has been a long time since I've gotten into a fanfiction project. I know there is plenty for me to work on, but this story has drawn me in and I'm really excited to be back working on something. Hope everyone enjoys the journey I'm about to take you on!**


	2. Lost In The Cold

It was so cold.

Elsa's body trembled in her sleep. She brought her arms in close but it did no good. Slowly, her mind began to awaken from the comforting ignorance of sleep. Snow-crusted lashes opened to the sight of a light snowfall that was drifting into the narrow shelter that appeared to be covering her. She put her hand out and there was a wet chill that seeped into her fingers. It was too cold.

Elsa groaned as her body protested each move. Still, she pushed until her head turned up. There was a narrow ledge to the building she was curled up against. The stiff planks of wood could be felt under her backside. Her fingers were going numb and her toes...

She pushed herself up and folded her legs up to her chest, covering her toes under the thin fabric as she struggled to take in the rest of her surroundings.

There were other buildings, all closely built together with little alleys and what looked like a well not too far away. A village of some kind? But, there was not a soul in sight.

A few feet away under the thick spread of fluffy snow something moved. It shifted until a body began to form and a groan filled the otherwise still air. Elsa defensively drew her hands up, waiting as the snow cleared to reveal just an ordinary sort of person. Her hands lowered just a little. Had she been expecting a monster?

The man reached up and began to brush the snow from his hair and face as he drew himself to his knees.

He swayed unsteadily and despite her own circumstances, Elsa was on her feet at his side. She reached out as if to take hold of his shoulders before she caught herself and brought her hand back.

"Are you...," she started softly. Her teeth chattered unwillingly. "...are you alright?"

He stiffened at the sound of her voice and turned, looking up with surprise, "Queen Elsa?"

There was a gasp and the Queen stumbled back, falling into the snow with less dignity than she was used to showing. "You!" Her body was visibly trembling and she could no longer tell if it was from the cold or the rush of emotions. Hans had returned. He was here for her again. That had to be it.

"What...what have you done?"she accused.

"Me?!" He shot her an aggravated look before turning away. Pushing himself to his feet, he began to look around the snowy surroundings. "Where are we? What happened?"

"What happened?" Elsa repeated as she got to her own feet. _Surely he had to know. Didn't he_? "We sent you back for judgment. My reports claimed you were returned to the Southern Isles. How did you get here? Is this your way of finishing what you started? The people will never accept you as..."

Hans whirled on her angrily, "Oh would you just stop! I'm not here to finish anything. I don't even know where this is. I was JUST in the Southern Isles, locked in a lovely warm cell. Does this look like I came out for a winterly stroll?" He held out his arm and tugged at the thin fabric that now clung damply to his skin.

Elsa's lips trembled and she pulled her arms tighter around herself, rubbing for an attempt at warmth even as she took in his appearance. It would have made everything so much simpler if he hadn't been right. _Why was it so cold_? The thought flitted around as she followed his method and took in the surroundings herself. Still no people. Snow climbed up the sides of the buildings in piles that seemed like the remains of a swirling blizzard or an avalanche more than a common snowfall. It was too early for snow.

"I didn't do this," she whispered more for her own confirmation than his. Her nightgown clung tighter than she would have liked as she began walking away. She didn't care if he followed. Elsa circled the building and disappeared around the corner leaving Hans behind with his glares. With one more look around, his lips pursed with annoyance as he realized there were none others to be seen.

He rubbed his hands together and brought them up to his face. Even a warm blow wasn't doing much to take away the numbing chill that stiffened them with every passing second. Shelter would be the best course of action and the Queen was heading towards one. He followed close behind.

When he found her, she was at a doorstep, knocking loudly on the wood and waiting. There was not a sound from inside. He quickly scanned around once more to confirm there was no one in sight.

"Please, if anyone is in there..."

"Let me?" He offered, stepping in next to her. Instinctively, the woman slid out of reach. Not that he would blame her. Only an idiot wouldn't be apprehensive of him after what he had tried to do. And she was no idiot, of that he had always been certain. Hans took in the door, noting the swing and structure. His numbing fingers gripped the handle to find it locked. There were ways around that.

The man stepped back and lunged forward with a solid kick just under the handle. The door creaked and arched but it didn't give away.

"What are you doing?!"

By the tone of her voice, it was obvious she was displeased but he ignored her protests and took another strike at the weakened wood. This time it cracked and swung inward, giving them entry into the small home. Hans stepped in with no regard to Her Majesty. His boots trailed in snow before he gave them a shake against the wall.

Elsa stood outside. He shouldn't have broken in. This was someone's home! But she was so cold...her teeth were chattering and she looked around what she could see of the village. Still no one. She gave a sigh of resignation before stepping in after the prince and closing the door as much as she could after herself.

The Prince was already on a mission. He scoured the front room and disappeared down a hall. As he did, Elsa took the opportunity to look around herself. It was a modest home with a large, inviting fireplace.

"Hello?" She called out into the home but there was only the rustle of a response from Hans' busywork.

Elsa looked down at her fingers. They were pale even for her and she couldn't feel them yet. Still, she lifted one hand up and willed her magic into the air. It was a small action. One she had done time and time again. Nothing came.

Her eyes widened and fear tightened her chest. She tried again. Nothing. And again. Nothing.

"There's nothing my size..."

Elsa quickly closed her hand and dropped them both at the sound of his voice, hoping Hans hadn't seen.

He stood in the open hall with a pile of folded quilts. It was hard to tell as his expression gave nothing away.

"...but I found some that might fit you. However, then I thought to myself, well, Queen Elsa wouldn't really need them in the first place...After all, the rumors were that you can just conjure something suitable. Isn't that right?"

Rolling waves of anger and annoyance began to creep its way into her chest.

"Still, I'm going to have to find something warmer. Unless you can clear this up like you did the last time." Hans gave a wave out towards a window before he set the pile down. Taking the top quilt, he opened it to reveal the stiff, structured patterns of color. Airing it in one flap, he began to step closer and Elsa instinctively took two steps back.

"Easy," he remarked calmly. At first, she thought it intended to offer the blanket to her. He proceeded to wrap it around himself instead and walked past her towards what seemed to be a kitchen. His back was turned and Elsa was left feeling confused.

Her body shivered and her eyes were drawn longingly to the empty fireplace. Some wood was still left, surely enough to get a fire started for a little while at least. She desperately needed to find something to busy her hands as her mind whirled over the current predicament, so she crossed over and began to line the wood side by side into the stone hearth. She had never even thought to attempt this before. There had never been a need between her own circumstances and the presence of servants.

Slowly, feeling started returning to her fingers but the flint and rock in her hands felt stiff. After several failed attempts and a scraped palm, her head hung in frustration. Her loose braid hung down her shoulder and she could tell it was looking ragged by the escaped strands that hit her eye. As she brushed them away a weight fell across her shoulders and down her back. Elsa stood, turning with surprise and almost knocking off the blanket that now draped around her.

Hans bent down at her feet and retrieved the fallen items. She hadn't realized they had been dropped. "You looked cold." His voice was soft and she was brought back to several weeks earlier.

Still, she answered truthfully, "I am." She had never felt it like this. The cold had always been there, but it was kinder. Never the harsh, bitter stings that were only now just fading even from such a small amount of exposure.

She hadn't realized she was staring until the fire roared to life on the other side of the man. He was prodding the wood until the flames were drawn up. Immediately she could feel the warmth that began to fill the room. It had never felt so welcomed.

"How did you lose it?"

He had seen. Or was he the cause all along? It was too convenient. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

"Me?" He straightened his back and stood to face her once more. There was an anger in his posture and yet he managed to keep his tone even as he addressed her. "You think I had something to do with this?" Hans shook his head and his hand came up, fingers brushing away his amber locks until the bangs were held back into place. He seemed...insulted? "You know what, of course you do. Look, Your Majesty, I don't know the first thing about magic let alone the fact I have been locked in a cell since I was cast out of Arendelle. By all means, when we figure out where we are, send a letter to confirm it. Not that I am inclined to let you take me back."

Elsa pulled her quilt tighter. She didn't need to explain herself. She had every right to question him. The whole situation was ridiculous. As ridiculous as children with magical powers and trolls made of stone. She used to dream of being normal. Of being able to experience life the way that Anna had. She had longed for it for so many years.

"I couldn't just lose it like this. It's impossible without some sort of reason. Some explanation." The quiver in her voice surprised them both. "I've asked and prayed for years. Every day since I was a child, I've prayed, and it never has mattered."

"Well, maybe all of these prayers piled up and here we are." He took a seat in a nearby chair. His upbringing was still clear by the way his back remained straight and the placement of his boots on the wooden floor. Elsa brought her eyes back up to his face to examine it as he spoke, "You without your powers and me out of that cell."

"Why you? How are you even here?"

Eventually he answered, "Maybe God took pity on me..."

There was a scoffing disbelief in her tone, "Pity on you?"

He picked up from where she had interrupted and repeated the words defensively, "Maybe God took pity on me and got me out. Why here? We'd have to know where here was in the first place." Hans gave a turn of his fingers towards the doorway as he continued. "I don't suppose you happen to have some ideas?"

Elsa took a breath and lifted her head. Her fingers dug a little deeper into the folds of the quilt. "The land rises to the south. I didn't get a good look with all of the snow, but I think it might have been familiar. Perhaps we are north of Arendelle."

"Great," Hans remarked. He brought his hands up to the fire, rubbing them before exposing his palms to the crackling flames. "Well, that answers what my next course of action will be."

"What is that?"

"Find something to wear and keep going north, away from the Southern Isles and away from you." He seemed to have caught her questionable expression. "Don't worry your pretty little head, I intend to keep as far away as I can."

"Not the Southern Isles?"

Hans kept his eyes to the flames, "There wasn't much there for me in the first place and now there is even less. I won't be missed."

"They won't miss their Prince?"

Apparently Elsa had heard nothing of his punishments nor of his current status. His jaw tensed with the following confession, "Prince of nothing. My titles are gone. My fleet is gone. My estates are gone. This is all that is left of me, your Highness." Elsa wisely remained silent as he continued. Still, he refused to face her. "I made my mistakes and now I'm suffering the consequences. That's how it works. If I've got a chance to disappear, I might as well take it."

He was going to leave. It was just as well, wasn't it? He had tried to kill her. At the time, she had welcomed it. And now, here they were sitting in front of a fireplace. She knew he could dispose of her easily enough if he wanted. He could have on multiple occasions. Still, he kept his image with the people. He kept to his goal. Could she trust him with that?

_This might sound crazy but_... Anna's words crept in unbidden. This was likely going to be a mistake...

"I can't believe I'm going to say this." Elsa dropped her head down into her hands. Her fingers rubbed between her eyes as the suggestion passed her lips, "Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me," she repeated, looking back up. His expression made it clear he was confused and trying to decipher her motives. He was clearly interested though as he leaned forward in his seat. Elsa released a sigh as she began to explain, "I know that there are no warm feelings between us nor any trust, but right now we both have goals that could benefit each other."

There was a pause before he smirked, "Speaking like a true negotiator."

It made the most sense. Surely he had to see that, "I need to travel back to Arendelle." _And, if I'm right..._"The chances of getting there will be higher if we work together. There's no reason to hold up pretenses. Without my magic, I am vulnerable on my own." It was a feeling she hated. She had thought, on finding she had no powers it would feel more...freeing. Instead, she felt lost, "I couldn't even start a fire."

Elsa expected him to expand on the ridiculous failure and push her down even further. She was not prepared for the closed lips and exploring gaze as he simply watched her.

Eventually, he asked, "What will happen once we get there?"

She had been expecting it, "You will have, perhaps, saved the life of their Queen. Your life will be spared. I can supply you with a horse and supplies before you leave Arendelle forever."

"It's a generous offer," he admitted, clearly thinking it over.

"It is."

Hans leaned back in his seat. His posture faltered when he asked, "Why would you make it? I had intended to kill you..."

"You didn't," she replied. He had waited. Letting things play out as they would. Playing a part to the people. Playing a part to her sister. To her. No doubt playing in a new role now. _Keep your enemies close_? There was still a chance he held the answers she needed.

"Not for lack of trying."

"You are not helping your case," she deadpanned. Still an asshole. Elsa took a deep, calming breath. "I believe you are a reasonable man and you would stand to gain nothing from my death at this time."

After a few minutes of silence, Hans rose to his feet. He crossed to the pile he had brought in earlier and began to take out some items, pulling on a pair of gloves that seemed just a little too tight.

"Where are you going?" Elsa still had not heard his answer. As he began to make his way to the front doorway unexpected fear gripped with a force that ashamed her.

"I still need clothes if we're to get anywhere in this weather." He wrapped a dark scarf around his neck before his hand stilled on the fabric. There was a sigh that relaxed his shoulders. "Stay here. If I find anyone, I will inform you when I return."

He pulled the scarf up to cover his face before turning away to opened the broken door. The snow had picked up outside and was swirling in walls of white. Elsa was not going to stop him. He would return. The wooden door closed and there was a secondary shift of the structure as he wedged it in place behind him.

Elsa pulled the quilt tighter and got to her feet. There were clothes to find.

* * *

**And so the adventure begins!**


	3. Loose Springs

_Tick_..._Tick_..._Tick_..._Tick_...

The seconds sounded much louder than they ought have in the otherwise silent home. The hour had struck on the wooden clock fifteen minutes prior. Fifteen minutes past the second chime that had drawn the little dancer out into the open from behind her caged doors of crafted wood.

He had not returned.

Elsa drummed her fingers along her knee in a methodical manner that echoed the steady ticking.

Two long hours of waiting.

He had not returned.

The fire had started dying out thirty minutes ago and now was little more than a faint glow among the charred remains of wood. The scent still filled the air. Wool mittens sat on Elsa's lap in a shade of red, patterned with blacks and whites that kept her attention as her gaze followed each interlocking line. A scarfed hood matched but she had left that on the back of her chair along with a dark gray overcoat. Hans had been right, at least, in that they were her size.

He had even pulled a few out and laid them across one of the neatly made beds in the back. Among them was a thickly layered winter dress in shades of dark burgundy and purple. The colors were not her ideal choice but after a glance at some of the others it was revealed that most of the wardrobe was shades of dull browns or grays. She was thankful, in spite of that, and intended to find the owners to reward them personally when she was able.

It was about time she found someone. She was tired of waiting for someone who she expected was on his way north already, as he had claimed. She should not have expected anything more.

Elsa pushed herself up from the chair with another glance at the embers. She began the careful ritual of ties as she fastened the coat in place and then wrapped her braided hair beneath the layers of the hood. The worn boots clinked just loud enough to be a bother, across the wood floor as she made her way to the door and tugged it back open. Snow would have to do. With the mittens still hung on her hips Elsa took the snow on her bare skin. It was fluffy and welcoming, bringing a smile to her lips. Yet in only a matter of a minute the bitter cold was already seeping into her fingers. Her smile fell with disappointment.

She threw the snow on the fire, put her mittens on, and walked out the door.

* * *

The air didn't seem quite as harsh as earlier. The snows had settled some under the late afternoon sun until the only wisps were from occasional gusts that curled around the vacant buildings. Icicles framed the pulley above the well which had been left open and exposed to the elements instead of boarded up for the season that was now in full blossom.

As she passed several more homes and shops, Elsa noticed that a few had the characteristics of the one she had just left. The wood was cracked and doorways were left open while some others had broken windows where the glass shards scattered into the snow beneath them. It was hard to tell if it had all been vandalized long before but she suspected she knew the culprit.

There was little evidence of footprints as all appeared to have been covered during the earlier flurry. Not that she wanted to find him! In fact, she hoped never to see his familiar face again. He had probably long escaped, she reminded herself. It was better that way. Wasn't it?

The Queen lifted her chin higher, back straight and steps deliberate as she searched the outer premises. There was no sign of the residents. No sign of animal life. However, the more she looked, the more she recognized. She had been here before.

The Valleys of Vinberg. It was as she suspected and she turned to the mountains between them. Arendelle was a days travel by horse. Another glance around the abandoned village and she reminded herself that was likely not an option. It would have to be on foot.

It was hard to picture what the village had once been.

She had been so young and when she visited it was the late days of Spring when the fields were green and rich with flowers. The farms were just planting their crops and the herbs already filled the air with their fresh toxins.

Now, there was nothing but ice.

Elsa's path was leading towards the village chapel. She could see the peaks rising past the other buildings like a beacon for the weary. There had always been something peaceful about the chapels. The way the light reached in through stained glass and the ceilings loomed up as though stretching to the heavens. And then, there were the smells of wood and incense. The prayers and chants from those who wished God would smile down on them. She visited frequently, even after losing all hope that her abilities would be taken away. Perhaps, Hans had been right after all. Maybe, this was a lifetime of prayers answered.

The streets circled to the left and as she began to follow the bend a figure rounded at the same time. She nearly fell into him, her sights hitting the dark blue of his coat. She stumbled back and his arm outstretched in her direction but stopped short of touching her.

"Elsa?" His question rung in surprise and she saw his face.

"I thought you had left." Her voice was sharper than she intended.

Hans had found some clothes at least. The boots were in about as good a shape as her own, but they would do. A coat hung just a little too long down his arms but it was in good shape. The earlier gloves had been replaced with ones that looked like they had a little more leeway. A sack was slung over his shoulder and he was now equipped with a sword at his hip and a bow at his back.

His response was quick and clipped, "I didn't. I got held up." He was still standing firmly in place and stepped closer, causing her to take a step back in return. He gave a nod back in the direction of the broken-into home. "We should go back. I found some supplies and...food." Hans hesitated at the last word but Elsa didn't catch on to question about that. Instead, there was something else that was bothering her about the strange circumstance of their meeting.

Go back. She repeated the suggestion in her head with a rush of annoyance. Just like that? Elsa tried to look past him in the direction of her path. Skillfully, he shifted his body.

"What are you hiding?"

The way his lips clamped made her certain she was right. His eyes dropped down to meet hers, holding firmly with an emotion she couldn't quite place. She tore hers away and began to make her way around him.

He attempted to reach out, his fingers grazing her shoulder, but she shook him off and rounded the corner as intended. His voice came from behind her, pleading, "Elsa, you don't need to see..."

She had gone hardly a few steps before she thought she saw...

The faster Elsa's feet brought her, the wider her eyes opened. She was running now, the cold nipping at her cheeks and the snow sloppily crunching beneath her feet. Only when she was feet away did she stop. Still, she couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible.

"No." Her voice was little more than a whisper and her hand came up to her mouth until the wool covered the stifled cry. "No. I couldn't have..."

"Elsa." He was behind her again but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight.

They had all come to the chapel. Why wouldn't they have? They were all here. Standing outside like a barricade that was protecting the contents. Men. Women. Children. There was a man holding the reins of a fat-bellied horse. There was a dog at the heels of a young lad. They were all dressed as if it were the middle of the summer, with thin layers and decorated hair. And they were all frozen. Their bodies were crystallized into transparent statues that shimmered with blue under the light of the lowering sun.

"I didn't do this." Elsa begged it to be true. She didn't recognize her own voice, but her heart was breaking at the sight.

The people had gathered and they clearly had a target of focus. Where she stood, all their eyes were on her. Faces twisted in fear and anger. Some were pleading on their knees with tears paused under the stills of ice.

Her body began to tremble but this time it wasn't from the cold. "I don't remember, but I couldn't have...No." She shook her head in denial. Yet the feeling of guilt began to pound in her chest until she couldn't breathe. "No!"

"Elsa," Hans tried to call to her. She couldn't hear him through the sound of her own sobs. It was happening all over again. This time, though, she couldn't save them. She couldn't save any of them. The nightmares that haunted her since her childhood. The nightmares that crept back in despite her best efforts. They weren't just nightmares anymore.

"Elsa...look at me."

Hands were on her. No one ever touched her. Except Anna. Why would they be touching her? She tried to pull away but they kept a firm hold. A young girl, a child, was watching her. A child so much like Anna had once been. She wore a shawl around her shoulders and there was a doll in her hands. Her face reflected fear. Fear of her.

Hans pulled her more firmly, trying to draw her gaze from the lost figures, "Look at me, Elsa."

Her eyes met his with desperation, "What have I done?" Her fingers gripped onto his coat as her body went weak.

"Elsa," he tried to reason with the woman. "Your powers..."

"I did this," she interrupted. "I killed all these people. The storm. What have I done?" Her body trembled with her sobs. She had escaped the last time. Had she really thought it was over? That she was fixed?

Hans tried to recapture her attention and she felt the scratchy surface of his gloves as he held her cheek. "You don't have your powers, Elsa!"

Her breathing was ragged, coming in gasps, and her chest was tight, crushing, even as she tried to listen. "But, it had to have been me." _Didn't it_? "There's no one else!"

"What is the last thing you remember?"

What was the last thing? Did it matter? All of those people were dead because of her. He should have killed her that day.

Still, he kept drawing her attention. She could feel his fingers digging into her arm where he held on firmly. His voice was calm but pleading, "Where were you, Elsa? I was back in the Southern Isles, in my cell. Where were you?"

"I was..." She tried to focus. To calm herself. It hurt to breathe and her lungs stung from the cold. She gripped him tighter and her chin tilted up as her wet eyes met his again. What did she remember?

"That's it." He repeated the question, "Where were you?"

"I was," she began. What was that light? Her words began to tumble out with less control than she had contained in many years but, heaven help her, she began to tell him. "Home. I...there was a nightmare. And I had to get outside. I was outside, in the garden." Control...conceal it. Her mantra for so long. Don't feel. "But what if I did it? What if it was because of my dream?" Yet she did feel. She felt so much that it was pouring out in painful waves. "What if this is all my fault? All again, but this time, more people are hurt because of me!"

"You said it yourself," he tried to reason with her. "You don't have these powers anymore. This wasn't your fault, Elsa. You did not do this."

"You don't know that!" Her voice was louder than she meant it. He couldn't understand. How could he understand?

"I do know that!" His voice raised in response and she felt his gloves under her hood now, touching her hair. "Elsa, you did not do this. I need for you to breathe. I need for you to listen."

"You...know?" The snow had picked up again and their coats were becoming lightly dusted with every passing minute. It should have been a comfort to her instead of this unfamiliar shiver that ran down her spine and seeped into every vein. "How could you know?"

"I went in those other buildings. This is old, Elsa. This village has been...," there was some hesitation in his words before he chose how to phrase it. "...deserted for years."

She was listening to his words. As she did, Elsa seemed to realize how close she was to this man. Her body was pressed to his in a way that she would have never allowed of a stranger, let alone this man. "Years?" She loosened her grip on him and focused on composing herself. The feel of her mitten was little comfort on her skin as she brushed away some of her own tears.

"I found supplies. The food is unsalvageable though."

He didn't remark one way or another when she took a step back. He only continued in his explanation, "It has been sitting here for years. You couldn't have done this. You weren't here. Neither of us were here." He added the last part and she was surprised that she had not even considered him to be at fault.

But if she was not here..."I don't understand." Elsa rubbed her arms and finally lifted her chin to bring her gaze on his. "That's impossible. What else could do this if it wasn't me?"

"Is it possible, even a little, that there is someone else out there? Someone like you?"

Could there be? She had always thought of herself as being completely on her own, but when they had gone to visit the Trolls, they knew what she had. They even asked if she had been born with it, or cursed. Could it be...? "The Trolls seemed to recognize it," she whispered more to herself than him.

"Trolls?" Hans blinked with surprise, expecting her to correct him for having heard wrong.

Her soft voice gave no indication of misreading and instead she went on to explain, "They...they always knew what to do."

He gave a tired chuckle and ran his gloved fingers up into his hair with a shake of his head. "First, women who can bring on winter at a will and now Trolls?"

After all he had seen, did he think she meant to joke at a time like this? "They don't have such oddities in your Southern Isles?"

"Not nearly." The answer was simple and appeared to have no mirth or condemnation behind it.

Hans brought in a deep breath of his own, releasing it slowly before he seemed to make a decision. "Come on," he started, bending down to pick up the sack that had at one point been dropped into the snow. With it pushed up on his shoulder once more, he took Elsa by the elbow. She didn't pull away. "Let's get you inside."

Hans cast a final look over the frozen villagers. His throat burned and he swallowed it away. His eyes fell on the little girl. She clutched the doll tightly in her arms as if someone were about to take it from her. The truth was painful. None would ever take that doll from her ever again.

He turned away and began to guide the distraught woman away from the gruesome scene.

* * *

**Thank you very much for the interest and the reviews for this story! I love feedback.**


	4. Into The Woods

Elsa had remained silent on their return to the abandoned home. At one point during their walk, Hans had suggested they wait to travel until the morning. She only nodded her reply. He had hardly finished closing the door behind them both before she disappeared down the hall. He did not follow. Now, an hour later, the light had dropped into darkness and she had not shown herself again. He doubted she would until the morning.

There was a crackle in the flames as Hans turned the spit. It had caused some of the juices from the rabbit to leak down between the ridges of wood. Elsa hadn't asked on the food and truthfully, he expected her appetite was probably as low as his own. Even still, they would both need it for the journey ahead.

He had gotten lucky with the target. The leaves crinkled and Hans had time enough to aim, waiting for a creature to expose itself. It had squealed as the arrow pierced its hindquarters and snapped its teeth with desperation when he reached in to finish the job.

Hans swallowed and bowed his head. His fingers traveled from his temples up into the loosened hair.

It had been years since he involved himself in any of the hunts a few of his brothers indulged in. They were enamored with the mix of skill and violence involved and there were many years in his youth that he practiced with them all, testing his skills over and over again, hoping to one day find their praises. Yet a rabbit or a grouse were measly trophies that only earned a light recognition and a pat on the head. Eventually, he was too tall for the pat.

_What was he doing_?

Hans lifted his head again and looked towards the dark hall beyond which the Queen rested.

He should have left. Why didn't he? For...supplies? A horse?

It was more than that and he was a fool if he tried to tell himself otherwise. Still, his thoughts swirled with questions and no simple way to answer.

The meat was cooked and every second he sat staring at it the worse it would get. So he removed it from the flames and carefully pried it from the spit onto a plate before him. The small table was not ideal but it was useful for much in spite of its size. He sliced into the steaming carcass and laid half upon the second plate, being much more particular to cleaning the mess made than on the first.

_What was he doing_?

He stood and went to the mantle where a single candlestick had been placed. After lighting it, he picked up the clean dish and began to make his way down the hall.

There was a chill to the dark room that the faint flicker of candlelight couldn't disperse. Hans stepped further in and was instantly drawn to the woman inside. A quilt was pulled up to cover her and her slender fingers gripped the fabric closely in her sleep. The light lapped across the curves of her face. She was beautiful.

It had surprised him when he had first met the two sisters. Anna was like sunshine and youth. Innocent to the ways of the world, but beautiful none-the-less. She would have done well among the women of society, socializing and gossiping among them all. But Elsa? She had a reputation long before he had the opportunity to learn for himself. It was one of admiration and jealousy among nobility who were worth little more than a handful of false titles. She was regal. Worthy of a Queen. But even Queens were vulnerable. They simply learned to hide it away.

Her dark lashes were long and her hair curled under her chin. Hans set the dish on a chest at the side of the bed. He couldn't seem to look away and before he could catch himself, his fingers brushed the hair back just enough that his skin caressed along her jaw.

She would have been dead by his hand. Chances presented themselves and still it was not until she was weakened, her body wracked with sobs that begged him to finish what he had started. She had wanted his blade in that moment and the blade came down to strike...

Hans flinched his hand back as though he had been burned. A drop of wax fell at his feet. She would have been dead. Because of him. For what? For his pride? For the respect of those who would cast him out without a second thought?

_What was he doing_?

He was going to try to heal his heart. Perhaps, before he left Arendelle for good, he would have earned a semblance of forgiveness.

Hans turned away and left her sleeping.

* * *

They left early, making certain to avoid the chapel despite needing to pass near on the way out of the village. As they traveled, Elsa said very little.

She had asked about the rabbit showing that she had noticed his offering, if not finished the meal. Hans responded by a lengthy, elaborated story about some time with his brothers and the hunts. She remained quiet as he talked, never interrupting, and he never asked her to aid in his one-sided conversation. It was likely better that way for the both of them. He kept the stories light and charming if possible. He told about his mother. He told about the geography and history of the Southern Isles. Of which some she acknowledged she had already learned in her studies. Yet he still talked, as one who had lived it, telling of the summers there and the acquisition of his first fleet.

She had seemed surprised at that but drew quiet again as they continued their steady pace over the hills and the foot of the mountains. It wasn't until they had entered the Forest outside of Arendelle that he had gone quiet again.

In truth, he had not intended to entertain her for so long nor tell on half of the tales he had. True, he had left out the biting remarks and the lectures on his impeding expectations. There had been nothing strategic about the stories. He half expected her to tell him to stop, but she never had. Elsa almost seemed to welcome them and at the end of it all, he was left feeling glad in having distracted her. It was the least he could offer in return for...before.

The journey itself was uneventful. He couldn't help but notice how the weather seemed harsher and less delicate than the snows that had followed the coronation. This snowfall was bitter and scattered. It seemed a strange thing to notice, really.

The sun was getting lower in the sky. The only sign of it was the dimming cast of light that bounced in shades of red underneath the trees through where they walked.

As if in answer to the newly cast prayers the trees began to open just enough to see some wooden structures ahead and the lights that signaled occupants. Hans gripped the strapped sack tightly on his shoulder and then set his hand upon the hilt of his sword. He glanced back at the Queen to see her give a nod before they pressed forward.

It was a small building built back into the trees until the branches scraped at the snow-covered rooftop. A barn was half-covered as well with the light of a warming fire peeking between the logging. The other was more traditional with posts framing a small porch and a sign dangled low at the top of iced steps.

_Wandering Oaken's Trading Post_ the sign read.

"And sauna?" Elsa read off the bottom. Hans only shrugged and dropped his hand from its wary positioning. He stepped up onto the porch and set his hand on the handle. There was a jingling of a bell as it gave away. He cast a quick scan inside and then opened the door wider before the Queen. She was noticeably surprised but recovered herself before crossing into the small outpost.

Inside felt like entering a home. The rich smells of carved wood filled the air and the shelves closed in tightly with a variety of winter supplies and draped vegetables. Elsa felt an urge to touch a rather beautiful carving of a bear, but just as she reached out, she remembered herself and pulled her hand back.

The large shopkeep was settled low behind a counter, bundled in a bright blue and yellow sweater. His head was topped in a broad, woolen cap with ear-laps hanging down on each side. He didn't get up at their entrance but waved politely with a plastered smile and a cheery "Yoo hoo!"

The sound took them both by surprise but Hans was the first to respond just seconds after the door had closed behind him, "Um, hello." It was not his most distinguished introduction.

It didn't seem to bother the grand man who simply held a large palm out to some stacked furs nearby, "Finest winter products. Just in last month."

"Last month?" Elsa weaved her way through the products until she reached the counter. "How long has it been winter?"

Hans shifted the sack on his shoulder before following.

"Oh..." The massive man seemed to think it over and began folding each finger as he counted. "One. Two. Three..."

They both waited expectantly, sharing a look between them before his final answer was given.

"Seven years, now."

"Seven years?!" The two voices echoed each other much louder than had been intended. After seeing the village, Hans had expected it was a year. Perhaps two. But seven?

"Yah. Seven years," the large man repeated with his cheery smile still in place.

"Do you see," Hans started, turning to Elsa. "It's just like I told you. You couldn't have done this. Whatever...this is. It's impossible."

She seemed to be processing the information. Her fingers moved up to the collar of her coat and she pulled at it just a little before her gaze lifted back up to his own, "Seven years of winter? If it wasn't my powers, how did this happen?"

"Oh? You have powers like the King?" The way the man spoke, he might as well have just asked a question on...well, on the weather.

Had he said..."King?" Elsa asked. "Do you mean there is a King of Arendelle?"

"Oh, yah. Of course there is a King of Arendelle." His smile remained wide with cheeks that looked reddened from chill. "You are not from around here? The weather is not good for picnics, but we do have a sauna!"

Hans spoke up at that, annoyance ringing clear in his ton, "Of course she is from around here. This is Queen Elsa!" He motioned towards her with a raised palm. He wouldn't look at her, however, keeping his attention on the shopkeeper for the time being. The outburst of insult had frankly bewildered Elsa.

"Oh?" The stranger looked between the newcomers with clear ignorance. "Queen of where?"

"Of Arendelle," Hans clarified.

"Oh," the shopkeeper nodded. There was something behind his eyes and the stiffness of his shoulders that implied he was not falling for whatever trickery they were trying, adding in for measure, "Uh huh."

Of course, he had to have heard of her. Didn't he? "Oaken?" Elsa asked, remembering the name outside. "Your name is Oaken, isn't it?"

"Yah. Oaken," he confirmed and spread an open palm towards the closed doorway. "Just like on the sign there."

There was a moment of hesitation. She was afraid of the answer, "Is there a Queen Elsa of Arendelle?"

"Not dat I know of."

There it was. Elsa's eyes went wide and her whole body tensed. Was it possible? What had happened? What of her parents? What of Anna?

"Is there any Queen at all?"

"Yah, dear. Queen Anna, of Arendelle."

"...Anna..." Elsa breathed with panic creeping up her throat. She finally turned back to her traveling companion with urgency, "I have to get to the castle."

Hans shook his head in reply and held his position subtly between her and the exit, "It's already getting dark. We can get there in the morning." He turned to Oaken, taking a chance in asking, "Do you know of any place close we could wait out the night?"

"The barn's mostly free," the man answered cheerfully and Hans resisted any noticeable signs of disappointment. Instead, he offered a simple nod. He wasn't expecting the following addition, "Or I have some rooms."

"Rooms?" At that point the pair were both staring at the shopkeep as though he had grown an additional head. They chanced to take a look around the small shop but it was clear the only door lead to what appeared to be the designated 'sauna'.

"Yah," Oaken confirmed before he began to get up from his seat. He rose, and rose, and rose until he easily towered over them both. Elsa seemed unsurprised but Hans tensed and he took a half a step back as the other man circled around his counter with a motion for them both to follow.

Once outside, they circled the side until there, nestled under the heavy trees and attached to the back of the small trading post was, sure enough, a long set of small rooms. A stretch of porch connected them all. Icicles hung from the thick wooden logs and outside the closest one there was another sign hung just outside.

_Wandering Oaken's Lodgings_ this sign read, in the same manner as the first.

Hans found himself looking back to the first building and then to the second. His voice broke the silence with a breathed remark, "Well, that was unexpected."

"See. Some rooms," Oaken commented proudly. His large footprints lead the way forward until he reached the porch. He leaned to the side, avoiding hitting the sign, before he tried to stand upright again. The top of his cap nearly hit the ceiling. He turned back with a giddy smile, "And a continental breakfast in the morning. One hundred a room."

It was a nice offer but Elsa suddenly found herself without her normal assets. She began her answer, "I'm afraid I don't have any..."

"I'll take care of it," Hans interrupted, already reaching beneath his coat. At the woman's look of surprise he explained in a quieter tone, "When I got supplies."

She didn't ask any details. She didn't need to. Was that a blush rising to her pale cheeks?

"One room?" the larger man asked.

"Two rooms," the former prince quickly corrected, producing the appropriated coin to give to the shopkeep.

Oaken gladly counted them out as he began to stroll forward. "Two rooms! Of course. Come now."

Keys were drawn and doors opened to reveal rather pleasantly decorated and warm rooms. He gave a short introduction while lighting the fireplaces and handing the keys off, one to each of them. There was a bed in each. A small table and a pair of chairs before the fireplace. A bath was furthest in the back. When it was done and he was nearing the door to leave, Elsa stopped him with a gentle touch on his arm that gave him pause.

"Thank you for such accommodations," she began sincerely. "We will not forget this."

His smile brightened and he patted her hand, his own covering hers with such excess and gentleness that her heart warmed. "You are certainly welcome, dear." For the first time since meeting them, the great man's smile fell and his voice became a little more serious. He started with his eyes firmly holding hers and then tilted his chin enough to look at Hans next. "I would not go to the city. I can see you out from here. Maybe someplace in the south. Someplace warmer."

Elsa sighed and offered a sad sort of smile, "I appreciate it, but I need to do this. There is something important there."

"Alright, dear," Oaken seceded with a great sigh of resignation. He let go and crossed the threshold. A smile slowly formed back in place until it was as though it had never left, "Just ask if I can do anything else. Breakfast will be right in there in the morning."

"Thank you, Oaken." Elsa waved and then brought her arms in to hug herself from the chill that was curling around the bends and sweeping inside.

"Night night!" He waved back, turning away with a, "Toodleoo."

"He's a bit...peculiar." Hans spoke from behind, reminding Elsa that he was still within the same room. She turned to find him adjusting the sack and settling it down on the seat of one of the chairs.

"He was sweet," she corrected.

Hans smirked, looking up from the supplies, "Just as peculiar." He had retrieved a few subtle items and slipped them beneath his coat before leaving the rest to make his way to the doorway. She hadn't moved out of the way as much as she had thought and his shoulder brushed against her as he made his way out. The touch turned him at that last moment and their eyes met for longer than either seemed to realize.

"So," Hans began, the first to break the silence.

"So." Elsa looked away and hugged herself a little tighter. She wasn't really sure what to say. What else was there for her to add? The entirety of their travels earlier had been...peculiar. It really was the most appropriate word for it all, perhaps.

"Good night, Elsa," he offered quietly. She could hear the exhaustion in his tone and she looked up in time to see his back as he was walking down to his own door.

"Hans?"

He stopped at the sound of her voice and turned back, "Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He gave a light smile and the slightest bow of his head in her direction, "You're welcome."

It was enough for the night and they both retreated to the warmth of their respective rooms.

The door closed and still Elsa's hand lingered on the handle. She couldn't feel the chill beneath her mittens and truthfully the way she couldn't tear her eyes from it had little to do with the way the red fabric looked against the dark metal. She breathed in deeply, eyes closing with relief at the quiet of the room surrounding her. Her legs ached, trembling where she stood. She had never walked so much in a single day and she was afraid if she were to sit now, she might never be able to rise again.

Eventually she found the will to push herself away in order to take to the comfort of the blanketed bed. She let herself lay on top, her gaze drifting up to the boards above the small room.

Queen Anna. _Was it possible that_...

It was only a star. She had wished..._but it wasn't possible_...

Yet, here she was.

Tomorrow, she would get to the castle and if she was right, she needed to get a hold of that map. The Trolls had to know. They had to be able to help.

Elsa closed her eyes. _They always helped_...

She was asleep within seconds.

* * *

**And soon, to Arendelle!**


	5. Wayward Tongues

It only took one knock on the door for it to reveal a rather refreshed looking young woman. Elsa was already dressed for the day and her hair was pulled up in a more formal manner of twisting braids. She motioned Hans inside and he didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. In his hand was a tray of pastries fresh from the ovens and perfectly fluffy. Her eyes were drawn to one with chocolate drizzled along the top but she restrained herself, letting him set the tray on the table inside.

Her bed was made and the room was in order. Hans gave it one more look-over. If not for her appearance he might have doubted she had slept at all.

"You got some sleep I hope?" he asked. He didn't take a seat nor any of the food. Instead, he simply stood in the room and turned to face her once more.

"Last night was..." The answer was too informal and she caught herself. Her lips turned up in a gentle smile instead. It was the first he could remember since the night of coronation. She left the door open and crossed the few paces until she was closer. "Thank you. For the room."

He nodded with acknowledgment. Hans cast a look over their surroundings before letting his eyes come down to meet hers once more. She was so close and he swallowed at the unfamiliar warmth that crept up into his chest.

"And for this," she added, finally giving into her impulse in taking the chocolate laced pastry. It was still warm and her smile grew as she took in the aroma. She moved away again and took a seat. Elsa motioned him to the other chair but he only waved it away with a shake of his head.

"Oaken insisted on that one. It seems he chose correctly."

"It's delicious," she answered after finishing a little more. Had her stomach been rumbling so loudly before? "I'll have to thank him again before we leave."

"He's just as larger-than-life under the light of day."

Elsa smiled back at Hans before she sighed and brought seriousness back into the discussion, "I've had some time to...gather myself and think over the details of what has happened."

"Oh?" Hans reached a hand to rest on the mantle of the fireplace. The wood was lined with stone and a gloved finger found its way in the crevice there.

Elsa swallowed another bite before continuing, "Something did happen that night." The ounce of cheerfulness in the morning hours began to fade as the memory strolled back into the forefront of her thoughts. "I made a horrible mistake and I think it...came true. A wish I made when I was tired, and wasn't thinking."

Was there a flush on her cheeks? There were moments that Hans noticed the resemblance between the sisters. While she lacked the freckled warmth of Anna, Elsa still contained a certain brightness within her. Her emotions, while much more refined, still lingered close enough to the surface that they could be determined if one knew where to look. Subtle shifts of the eyes and a dip of her lashes. The tension in her neckline trailing from her ear. The way her hands trembled when she thought no one was watching.

"A wish?" he asked, coming back to the moment.

"I was in the gardens and something happened to one of the stars. It fell. No," She stopped, catching her words as she remembered the way the light rushed at her on that night. It didn't seem an adequate description. "Fell is the wrong word. It..."

Hans couldn't take his eyes from her as she tried to explain. Had she seen it too? She had said about a wish. That very same wish..."Shot?"

"Yes." She looked up at his descriptive.

A wish to have never been born. Words children had spoken in anger or despair often enough. What could have possibly been different this time? Why were they both brought into whatever version of their lives this had designed to be? It was a moment he had been ignoring in hopes it was little more than a fool's dream. He had looked up at that star and he had wished. Oh how he had wished. His prayers had been answered...

"When it touched you, it felt like being wrapped in the warmth of an ocean's wave, twisting and pulling until you couldn't tell which end was up."

There was no trying to hide her surprise, "You felt it too?"

"I was in my cell," he began quietly. "As I told you. I can't say my mood was very appealing. I saw the same star you talk about."

Elsa rose her to feet, napkin in hand with which she was wiping away the remains of the finished pastry. "This is important. I don't know why you, or why the both of us are here but there has to be some reason. The Trolls would know. We need to find them and the map is back at my castle."

_We_. The term rolled easily off her lips and for some reason emotions mixed between a warmth in Hans' veins and a tightness of annoyance. _Isn't this what he wanted_? No one would be looking for him. No one would remember what a disappointment he had become. All the deception and the games could be left to his brothers on the other side of the seas and he could disappear without anyone being the wiser. I_sn't this what he wanted_?

"I need to find her," Elsa was continuing, ignorant of the turmoil that was now brewing behind the man's eyes. "I think I might have never existed. If it's true and she has my powers...maybe that's what went wrong? Maybe she doesn't know how they work, just like me? I need to help her."

Her sister? She was here because of a wish she had made and now here she was thinking back to her sister who she had been so eager to leave behind.

"What if she doesn't want your help."

His words cut through the chilled room and it was enough to give Elsa pause, wondering if she had heard him properly, "What?"

Hans let go of the mantle and took a step towards her, closing the distance just enough to make his presence clear.

"If this is really happening, if you really never existed, what's to say she wants your help? She wouldn't even know who you are." The words were forming, after all, she had to see. Didn't she? She had wanted this. She had asked for it. Did she want to just throw it away? No powers. Nothing to fear. And her sister was clearly well enough if she was reigning Queen. What good would come from taking that away?

"She'll know me. She's...my sister," Elsa answered but her voice was weaker than she had intended and he noted the way her fingers were playing with the hung mittens at her hips. They were trembling just a little. "She's all I have."

Even the idea of Anna was making her weak. She was better than that. She deserved better than that. His next words were sharp and quick, strolling off his tongue before he could catch them, "Except she never had you. You're nothing to her."

Her blue eyes widened with surprise and...fear? He hadn't meant to be so harsh. But couldn't she see?

"That's not what I..." Hans took a deep breath, fingers reaching up to the bridge of his nose. His eyes closed with frustration at his own swirling thoughts. They wouldn't slow but still, he tried to voice the concern. He had to make her see. His eyes opened again and his hand fell as he continued, "You have a chance to leave it all. To start over. You aren't responsible for any of it anymore."

"Not responsible?" That was anger in her tone and he was glad that ice was not on her side for the time being. Elsa pointed out the open doorway despite it being in the wrong direction, "Those people in Vinberg, they are dead because of me. I might not have held the power this time, but they are my people. When it all comes down to it, I am responsible for them and my selfishness is the reason they lost their lives."

"Stop trying to be a martyr!" It was hard to tell when either of them had begun to raise their voices, but Hans was responding in kind. "Sometimes, bad things happen..."

"And sometimes we have to stand up and take responsibility for them. If I can do anything to fix it, then I must!"

Her face was flushed and her eyes flashed with anger. Her back remained straight and her chin raised higher with the grace of years in training. It was a passion that took Hans by surprise. His gaze dipped down to her richly hued lips that continued to speak. Was that the natural shade? He forced himself away from that train of thought with another that was much less pleasant. This woman's selflessness would destroy her.

Her words continued to flow with less restraint than her posture suggested, "We have no idea what we will find in Arendelle. You saw how things were with hardly a day after my own outburst. I know what it is like to live with that power and to worry every waking moment that I might hurt someone else. My sister might not remember me but she will always be my sister. I will not just leave her. You may never understand. You were never raised to be king. All you did you did as a coward."

Elsa stopped then. There was a hesitation in her eyes that indicated her known mistake but her lips closed tightly, refusing to admit to it. Coward. He had heard the term often enough from his brothers. Of course, he would not have been able to escape it here. Did he think it would be any different? From her? Especially from her. His jaw tensed and he just shook his head.

"You're right," he conceded. Hans reached past her and took a hold of the sack that had been left there. He didn't bother to check if the contents still remained. It wasn't important really. "It's all been the act of a coward. With the recent revelations it seems our...arrangement, doesn't hold much weight anymore. I have enough supplies." He couldn't look at her. He refused to acknowledge the slightest tells of fear and disappointment that were gathering in every inch of her being. Instead, he just made his way towards the door, calling out behind him as he left, "I'm sure as soon as you walk back into Arendelle you'll get things figured out on your own."

* * *

He had left. She pushed him away, but if he hadn't been so...just so...

Elsa's body was brimming with anger at the thought still. What had she expected of him? Loyalty? Yet the way he had been treating her. The way he had looked at her...

She scoffed into the air, the warmth sending puffs of white before her as she stumbled through the snow. It had only been an hour and already her dress was damp up to the knees. The piles had risen as the trees began to give away. The wind roared up the hills, sending the fabric rubbing against her skin in a way that she wished she could have fixed.

Each step was one more closer, though, until soon she approached the staggered buildings of the village she had once memorized from her window. She pulled her hood closer around her face in order to block out the bitterness that nipped at her nose. Everything was white under the light of the noon-time sun. It cast its rays across the icy rooftops until they glistened with blinding reflections that caused Elsa to turn away.

She was almost there. Almost home.

However, the closer she got the more she realized it was not like the home she remembered. The fjord had been frozen over and there were numerous ships spread across the stretches of ice, many of whom she recognized from her studies if not the visiting dignitaries who attended the coronation. Several were ripped down with gaping holes and burned frames that went black against the ice.

The village walls were still securely up and now there were soldiers posted in the colors of her kingdom. The banners were different though, as she got closer it was easier to tell that the familiar crocus that had been in place as long as she could remember was now the rippling jaws of a wolf.

It was clear that the guards had seen her approaching; a lone woman in common clothing. Their posture tensed and they motioned a few times between themselves in conversation. It did not take long until a single horse and rider glided out across the snow to greet her. A crossbow was drawn and trained between her eyes. Elsa stopped, instinctively spreading her hands defensively as he approached.

"Who are you?" He looked up with a tilt of his helmet to scan the land behind her. Satisfied that there was nothing, his focus went back to the woman. "Where do you hail from?"

"I...I am," she began. Claiming Arendelle would earn unanswerable questions. "...from the North."

"There's nothing left in the North." She could hear the smirk in his voice. "Try again, sweetheart." He shot the crossbow at her feet in warning and she went stumbling back a pace, hands up as though to draw from her powers. They never came and she struggled to regain her composure. Her gaze fell to the ground, focusing on the bolt there. It wasn't hard to portray fear.

"I promise, I was...we were..." She struggled with a story. There was a click as the crossbow was reloaded and she pushed the words out faster. "We lived on our own. My papa and I. He's dead now and I've no where to go..."

The guard shifted in his seat, the tight leather creaking with the movement. "Let me see your face, girl."

It was demeaning but she was in no position to resist. Elsa lifted her head and pulled back the hood from her cheeks as she let him look at her.

"Well, if you aren't a beauty." He was leaning forward now. She couldn't make out any features from behind the shadow of his helm. The armor was not one she recognized. The metal was black and the green and purple of Arendelle hung in tatters from underneath, peeking through several joints. "What's your name?"

"Elsa," she tried. A part of her prayed for recognition. There was none.

"Elsa," he tested on his tongue. "How could I deny Arendelle such beauty? Unless you are a devil, come to bewitch the King." He gave a grand laugh at that and maneuvered his steed around her so that she would have little choice but to head towards the village. "If you are such a beast, he'll be even more delighted at such an intrusion. Welcome, to Arendelle, Lady Elsa. I believe that you will find that it is much harder to leave than it was to enter. Especially with a face as pretty as your own."

Elsa flinched, nearly stumbling, as she felt the prod of his horse against her back, shoving her forward roughly.

"Better get moving," the rider remarked. "I have better things to do. Unless you happen to have some spare time."

His laugh echoed as she went ahead, bile rising up into her throat. She needed to do this, she reminded herself. Didn't she? As the snow-covered rooftops began to rise around her she felt a sense of dread. What was she walking into?

* * *

**Oh no! Hans! You jerk...**

**Slightly shorter than the last but more excitement on its way!**


	6. City of the Frozen

He had been walking for the better part of an hour and had gotten nowhere. Hans groaned as his feet sunk into the snow. He could feel his chest burning with the chill from where he had left his coat open. He should have just left. Just pointed his feet north and kept walking. Instead, he wandered and replayed far too much in his mind.

He was a coward. She had been right in that.

And now where was he? Alone. Wandering in circles trying to make up his damn mind.

It was never something he was particularly good at. Being alone. Being ignored. Being picked last in childish games. Perhaps that was the wrong phrasing. He was excellent at it, and despised it.

So what good would running away do now? It wasn't what he wanted. Alone in a cell. Alone in the harsh north. It was only a prison of another kind.

He had left her.

That simple statement wouldn't leave his whirling thoughts. It shouldn't have mattered. He was nothing to her other than convenient. And what was she? She had been his means of forgiveness and he had given up at the first sign of a challenge. She had no supplies. She likely had no idea what she was getting into. She had nothing to defend herself with...

What was he thinking?

He was a coward.

Hans stopped short. Just ahead was the familiar structure of the trading post. He was usually very good with directions and despite his frustrations he had sworn he was following the path the North Star had guided him towards. What he hadn't expected was to have quite literally turned in a circle. With one more glance behind him, he was certain it was not simply a passing mirage. With a heavy sigh, Hans made his way towards the front porch.

The now familiar chime rang through the wooden building as Hans entered. As the door closed behind him, he took a moment to look around. Was there something about this place? He shifted the strap against his shoulder. It wasn't supplies he needed.

"Hello!" The giant of a man was there waiting. He seemed as cheerful as ever with a wide smile. There was a glance back to the doorway as though he seemed to be expecting another, "Where's your friend?"

"She's probably in Arendelle by now." His voice was quietly distracted. Hans took off a glove and began to move several items on some of the nearby shelves as though something there might give him an answer.

"Oh." The large man's features dropped at the news. Hans picked up on the disappointed tone and he turned just in time to catch the way Oaken's smile dipped in a manner that made his mouth seem to shrink in size to his jaw.

"Is something wrong with that?" His strides brought him to the counter, eyes dead-set on the shopkeep.

"Oh, no. Nothing wrong," Oaken replied, slowly drumming his fingertips against each other. "Except that people don't ever come out of Arendelle now-a-days."

"What?"

"I did try to tell you," he continued.

Hans dropped his sack at his feet, his attention firmly set on the new information, "What happens to them in there?"

"Probably the same thing that happened everywhere else. Ever since the King took over. It's all snow and ice."

His heart dropped as though it had taken a hit of ice itself. He had left her and she had gone there alone.

"We came..." he struggled to find the right wording. _We were sent_? _We just 'poof' and then woke up_? Instead, he settled for, "...through, the Valleys of Vinberg. Do you know it?"

"Yah. He froze that one a few years ago. He took some back to the castle."

Something suddenly struck Hans. "He was the one who froze them? Not Queen Anna?"

"Oh no. Like I said last night, the King has powers."

There was a mutter of a curse and Hans slammed his covered palm on the counter even as his other came up to slide through his damp hair. Oaken seemed annoyed at the forcefulness and his eyes narrowed down at the spot on the counter before back up again.

He took a step away, muttering to himself, "She doesn't know what she's getting into." His voice rose with anger at himself, "And I just left her..."

The large man had a rag in his hand and was carefully rubbing a little fresh polish on the wooden surface before he looked up again. His frown deepened at the comment, "That is bad news."

What could he possibly do? He had a sword, but what if more was needed? He had no idea what to expect.

Hans rounded on Oaken just as the man was lifting his hand from the counter. He seemed pleased with the result and startled slightly as Hans addressed him again, "Oaken, what do you know about the Southern Isles?"

He seemed confused but smiled a little brighter with a suggestive motion of his hand, "Oh, a little here. A little there."

"Please, my friend," Hans pleaded, reaching into his inner coat pocket to reveal his coin purse once again. "It is important that I learn everything you know about the Southern Isles and this King of Arendelle."

Oaken looked at the purse with surprise as it was dropped onto the counter in front of him. He looked between it and the man a few times before finally coming to a decision.

His eyes darted back and forth in a manner more shady than Hans had been expecting, "It is not safe here."

The shopkeep rose from his seat, picking up the purse, and circled around Hans until he came to the great door. He brought the latch down, securing it in place before turning and making his way through the shop with much more grace than Hans ever expected.

The former Prince hadn't realized he was staring with a vague question until the 'sauna' door was being opened and Oaken motioned for him to follow, "Come."

Hans just continued to stare blankly, disbelieving, even as one of the walls inside began to move at Oaken's pull.

"Come," the shopkeeper remarked again with a shred of annoyance that gave a nudge to Hans' feet. Moments later he had disappeared through the passage behind the large man.

* * *

The village seemed dark in spite of the brilliant sun above. Frosted windows were closed up tightly, as were most doors. Vendors were out, however, as several citizens perused for goods, all bundled up in shabby layers that put the good tailors to shame. Elsa pulled her own coat closer as a nudge at her backside reminded her to keep moving.

It was impossible to ignore the widened eyes and stiffened postures as the guard continued to guide the woman through the streets. All avoided looking at them as they passed. She recognized a few. Far less than she should have. Her contact with the villagers was limited even after the Great Thaw.

Eventually they reached the bridge leading up to the castle gates. From the moment it had come into sight, Elsa couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight. The warmth that had once radiated with the sensation of home had all but vanished. Icicles climbed up the iron lampposts and there was a glistening sheen across the ancient stone wall. The peaks rose up like looming claws with jagged tips aided by the thick icy accents that seemed to have encased the castle in its grip. Had this been how it looked when she caused it?

"Almost there, sweetheart," the guard's voice interrupted her thoughts. She hadn't realized she had stopped.

The large gates creaked open with a solemn presence and the guard dismounted. Another stepped up from their post, taking hold of the reins. Still, she couldn't see any of their features. But there was something...

He gripped her arm and tugged firmly, dragging her across the large courtyard. Her gaze drifted up to the balcony see a dark figure turn away. Still, she was pulled through the familiar halls that were now covered in spines of ice. The paint was trapped beneath frosty layers and had dulled under the dim lighting.

The doors to the Great Hall opened and Elsa couldn't hide her shock at the transformation. Even the bright illuminations that used to fill the room were now nothing but shreds of sunlight that crept in through the stained glass just to fracture into a hundred reflections across the ice that surrounded the grand room. The chandeliers hung with crystallized formations that crawled up to the ceiling like overriding vines, strangling out everything good and warm. At the far end, he waited. A dark figure in pooling robes of blackness that sat hunched on her throne. He was waiting, with a dull sort of amusement as though he had been expecting her.

The gold trim and rose fabric that rose high over the single chair was encrusted in shards of black ice that looked to have cracked several times over. Guards were standing like black statues as they framed the room. A grip of her arm reminded Elsa that she was being dragged forward. Strongly.

The walk seemed longer than it should have and when it ended she was all but thrown at the feet of the throned figure.

"Presenting, King Viggo of Arendelle," the guard announced. He stepped forward at a signal and began to whisper details to the ruler. With a nod from the King, he slid back once more, taking his place at the King's side as he proceeded to continue, "She came in from the Forest claiming to have come from the North."

"The North?" The King's voice was rich and more soothing than Elsa would have thought. "I haven't thought about them for years," he continued and Elsa brought her eyes up from his shoes where she knelt until her gaze fell across his face. "I thought that was all taken care of."

It was a rough face. His skin was darkened by the sun and wrinkled with time. Yet there was no gray in his dark locks nor in his silken beard that was perfectly tended until it curled in a twisting spiral down his chin.

The guard spoke from beneath his helm, "It was, Your Highness."

The King was looking over her carefully and appeared to have taken her silence and expression for fear, "There's no reason to be afraid." He rose from his seat and took several paces forward until he came within a foot of where she remained on the ground. "What is your name?"

_Queen_. She longed to rise, longed to say so many things, but still she held her place. "Elsa." Her breath blew out a flutter of frost into the air. It was just as cold inside as it was out.

"Just Elsa?" he laughed at the simpleness of it.

"It's all my papa ever called me."

He drew thoughtful over the statement and continued to look her over with a criticizing eye. "What did your papa do?"

_What did he do_? She pulled a story to the front. "He was a woodsman."

She flinched as he reached out and removed her hood before touching her face. His fingers were cold and there were callouses on the pads. It took all of her strength to push the bile away as he lifted her chin up until her face was illuminated under a small flake of light. How she wished to feel the connection to her ice at that moment.

"And your mama?"

"Died. When I was young."

The answer seemed to satisfy him for the moment and he released her face with an extended sigh. For a moment, there seemed to be a flicker of pity in his gaze, "That's always a shame. I lost mine at a young age too."

There was a creak in the floorboards behind her and it was enough to draw all their attention.

_Anna_! Elsa couldn't tear her eyes away even as her heart broke.

The young woman standing there, in thin layers of a nightgown, was so different from the girl she knew. The freckles upon her face had faded into the pale shade of one who spent far too many days indoors. Her frame was edged with bones that were too close to the surface and her supple curves had withered away with sickness. Her thick auburn hair was thin and wispy, falling freely down her back. Her bare feet were otherwise silent as she crossed the great room. One might have been able to mistake her for little more than a ghost.

"My darling girl, what are you doing out of bed?" The proclaimed King closed the distance between them and Anna flinched as he took her by the arm.

"I heard you had company," she began.

"Nothing to concern yourself with." He spun her around and motioned one of the guards over. "See my wife back to her chambers."

_Wife_?

"I don't want to go," she whispered softly at first, even as the guard took a hold of her and began to see her out of the room. She began to struggle and still his grip didn't loosen. Elsa's heart gripped firmly as she heard her sister's cries echoing from down the hall, "I don't want to go!"

"Forgive our interruption." King Viggo's voice took Elsa by surprise and she spun back to face him. Anger was flooding through her veins, but she wasn't stupid.

"She is simply not well and needs her rest," he continued. He was not much taller than Elsa, she noticed almost at the same time as she realized she had stood. "Now then, what to do with you."

It was all wrong. All of it. This was a dream. A nightmare. He could not possibly be...King? This was her castle. Her people. Her sister. _What do to with her_? Fear crept in far too easily. "What do you mean?"

He was examining her now, his gaze trailing down over her body and lingering far longer on areas than were proper, "She would make a lovely addition. Wouldn't she Rolf?"

"I thought you might think so," the initial guard spoke up at last.

"Addition?" What had she walked into?

"Mmm, this hair..." She felt his touch on a tendril down the back of her neck causing her to shiver. "And your eyes," his tone practically purred with intention and his smile was a brilliant white beneath the black frame of his beard. "Has anyone ever told you how exquisite you are?"

_If he even thought_...! "I...I intend to find a ship to the South." Her voice sounded weak. Frightened. When had that happened?

His laugh filled the large room, echoing off the surrounding ice as though it were a thousand voices chiming together.

"Oh?" King Viggo eventually managed to explain, "But if my captain's report is correct, you were so eager to gain entry to Arendelle."

"I changed my mind," she stated firmly and raised her chin proudly. Her eyes began to wander, trying to take in her position. However, she already knew it was impossible. There were too many guards. She was defenseless. Weak. The knowledge tugged at her and she bit down the panic that was quickly welling up in her throat.

"You truly are entertaining. Rolf," the King gave a glance at the nearby guard. "When was the last time I had such a spirit?"

"Two years ago, Your Majesty," he responded from beneath his helm. "The Innkeeper's daughter."

"Oh yes. She lasted a week." the King chuckled as though it were some great joke. His eyes flashed with a mix of maliciousness, mischievousness, and then a sheen of blue across the brown orbs. "I wonder how long you will hold onto yours."

"What do you...?" she had hardly begun to speak before he had motioned to the guard and turned away. In return he grabbed onto her with a solid hold that for all her struggles she couldn't release herself from, "Let me go!"

King Viggo had already taken his seat again, settling into the depths of the throne as he motioned them both away, "Rolf, see her to the kitchens. They could use some warm blood down there."

The laughter at his own joke could still be heard even when she was dragged, kicking, out of the room and down the halls. She only stopped when her surprise caught her, causing her to nearly stumble as her feet forgot themselves.

"What is...?" Her words were barely breathed as she watched a servant pass. The woman's skin was crystal and blue, cracking in sections. Her clothing was stiff and shuffled around her even as she moved to tend to a pair of curtains that were crusted over with frost, looking like there was very little that could be done at all.

She was being pulled again and there were open doors. She saw them all now. Men and women, walking through their duties. All frozen. All moving. There were no smiles. There was no warmth. They were all lost...

"Something wrong, sweetheart?"

She breathed a response to the guard's question, paying little attention to anything but the figures who went about their days in the castle, "They are all frozen?"

"Of course they are," Rolf remarked with a degree of amusement. She hadn't realized that he had stopped out of the doors that she knew were leading to the kitchens. Elsa looked back at the dark guard's hidden face.

For the first time, he used his free hand to reach up and remove his helm. The sight stilled her breath. His face was sharply chiseled like some great piece of art. His hair was slivers of structured lines all neatly holding their place for all eternity. He was nothing but ice. A moving creature with frozen limbs that shimmered under the faintest light until the black was highlighted in blue.

"This is Arendelle," he remarked with a smirk to his lips. "The City of the Frozen."

He opened the doors and threw Elsa inside, closing them right after.

* * *

**I'm really glad and excited that so many people are enjoying this so far! I'm having a blast writing it.**


	7. Behind the Walls

The doors closed behind Elsa and the chill outside seemed to have been locked away with the act. She began to look around the shallow, but wide hall. Up ahead, it narrowed to a hall that split off to a bend in the north through which the servants usually tended the daily rituals of meals. If there were any left, that is where she would find them.

Her arms pulled around her in the still unfamiliar act of trying to keep her heat closer. She rubbed at her arms, feet hesitant as she wondered what she might find ahead.

"Courage, Elsa," she whispered to herself. One foot moved. And then the other. The closer she came, she started to hear voices around the bend. Women, working and bickering mildly between each other and the clanging of iron.

"It needs more salt," one voice remarked, earning a scoff from another.

Elsa rounded the bend and the view of the kitchens came into full sight. It was like she had remembered.

The walls rose high and there were shelves lining it, filled with fine porcelain sets. Cabinets were built carefully into the structure and beyond that there was a liberal decorating of hung garlic, herbs, and several preserved meats. Two large fireplaces were adorned with racks and spits while on the adjoining wall was the oven in which the delicious smells of fresh bread were currently wafting.

The way the air warmed her limbs, she could almost forget about her predicament. Everything about the scene was familiar and so...normal. She almost expected that at any moment, one would turn and notice her, promptly dropping into the familiar greetings of respect that she had grown accustomed to.

_One_..._two_..._three_..._four_..._five_...

Six women busied themselves around a large center table, readying a meal that looked like it was ready for her coronation all over again. Surely it was too lavish for a daily meal.

As it happens, one of the women did turn. "A new girl?" she half whispered, almost dropping the platter in her hands. She caught herself at the last minute and set it down on the nearby table before calling out, "Nedra! There's a new girl!"

Heads began to turn in the middle of what they were doing. One of the others (Nedra, Elsa assumed) seemed confused and her response stumbled out of her lips, "What?"

"You heard me," the first answered, brushing off her palms onto her apron. She quickly crossed the room until she was able to take Elsa by her mitten-covered hands. "Oh, where's my manners? Probably as long gone as the Spring. You look freezing! Come over here by the fire. My name's Sofie and that's Nedra over there."

Sofie had a weathered sort of face of someone far older than they should be for their age. It echoed in her pale eyes. She wore a ruffled cap over her tightly wound hair and there was a pleasantness to her smile that Elsa found contagious. Nedra seemed younger but there was a weight on her shoulders that didn't seem to suit her soft features. Her lips were thin and dry and her gaze was stiffly appraising before she seemed to remember the spit she was tending. She quickly turned, grabbing a mitt before she started to remove the meat from it.

"Oh my, it really is someone new!" The young woman who spoke looked to be near the same age as Elsa herself. Brown ringlets fell outside her cap and down the back of her neck. She had an excitable sort of expression with wide, curious eyes that seemed to lead her feet. The girl was at their side in an instant and if Elsa was not already feeling the warmth of the nearest fire, she would have felt it in her smile.

"...and Mikkeline..." Sofie continued her introductions by including the curious girl.

The eldest among the women finally pulled herself away from the hearth. She lifted her apron up to wipe away the dampness from her forehead before taking a moment to lean on the table. Elsa knew that face, "Gerda?"

Her old servant looked up at her. It seemed as though there were more wrinkles gathered at the corner of her eyes and around her mouth. There was an overwhelming sadness that seemed to surround her that Elsa had never seen before.

"Do I know you?" she asked.

"My name is Elsa..." the former queen began. She should have known not to expect any recognition. Still, the hurt dug a little deeper than she wished. They were all waiting for something further and so she went into her constructed story, "I...my Papa had been to the castle years ago. I don't think you'd remember him but he said if I ever found my way here to ask for you."

"I'm sorry, but my name holds very little sway around here." There was defeat in the woman's tone and she looked away, clearly not as interested in the newest addition as the others.

Sofie's voice interrupted Elsa's observation, "Are you hungry? We could get you some food?"

"Speaking of food, you left me holding the pot, Sofie!" A long-faced woman with paling hair scolded with a dripping spoon in hand.

"Oh, hold yourself down, Inga! I'll be right there."

"Times counting down..." She pointed her spoon up at the large clock that sat nestled under a high shelf of oils. As if in response, the pot began to bubble up under the heavy lid.

"Alright, alright..." Sofie grumbled all the way over, grabbing some mitts on her way as she took the great pot in her hands and began to help the other woman once more.

"Where'd he get you from?" Mikkeline began to prod. There was a glint in her eyes and excitement in her voice that reminded Elsa painfully of her sister.

"I came to Arendelle," Elsa admitted.

A petite girl with pale blond braids had been keeping her distance behind Mikkeline, but at the statement her eyes widened with surprise and her soft voice nearly stuttered, "On purpose?"

"I...didn't know."

"Where have you been hiding?" Mikkeline continued to ask.

"I am from the North."

Iron groaned at the newly added weight as one of the pots was moved away from the fire to cool. The lid was tipped just enough to let the steam find its way out, sending a wave of rich aroma through the kitchens. Sofie was still wiping off her fingers on her apron as Igna spoke up at last, joining the conversation, "It's a crying shame what happened up there."

"Shh...he'll hear you," the blond's timid voice spoke up again.

Mikkeline rolled her eyes, "He's not gone into reading your thoughts yet, Dagny."

"Not yet!" The girl seemed genuinely frightened and Elsa had no words of comfort to offer.

"Posh. He's just a man." Nedra was beginning to make her way over as well as they all seemed to have taken an interest in the topic of interest.

Mikkeline's tone rang with annoyance, "A man who has us locked in like slaves."

"Locked and safe," Dagny reminded her.

"I have to believe he's just a man," Nedra sighed, leaning on the table's edge. "Or else what do we have left? Winters always end eventually."

"Not this one," Gerda finally spoke up.

Her remark seemed to quiet them all down briefly until Elsa dared to ask, "How did it happen?"

All eyes fell on her. It was Sofie who finally broke the silence, "You don't know?"

"She doesn't know? How could she not know?" Mikkeline whispered over to the others, followed by a harsh shushing.

"I've been...sheltered."

"Lucky you," Nedra remarked bitterly.

"Nedra!"

"She is!"

"Not anymore she's not," Igna confirmed.

"I'm sure you've heard about the Queen at least?" Mikkeline asked hopefully. Elsa just shook her head, earning a whistle of surprise. "You have been sheltered."

"Gerda's been around the longest out of all of us," Dagny offered with a blush of her youth at the attention.

"Yes," Igna added, turning to the older woman. "If anyone should talk about the young princess, it is you."

"It's not a happy tale," the woman sighed reluctantly.

In the following silence, the opening and shutting of the doors past the hall sounded, causing the women to stand upright. Any posturing was put aside as they all faced the hall. They were not left disappointed as the strange blue crystallization of a servant stepped just into sight. He didn't venture any further than that, keeping his distance from the warmth of the flames. His carefully straightened attire was forever in place and his heels came together, back straight and hand folded behind. There was a vacant yet stern look about his familiar face that brought a gasp to Elsa's lips even as her chest tightened.

Gerda's sad gaze turned away from the now frozen Kai. He remained silent, but they all seemed to know what he was there for.

"It's a tale she's going to have to hear about later," Nedra spoke up before giving a firm clap of her hands and ushering them all to work. "Come on now ladies. We've a table to get ready. Don't want to keep His Majesty's guests waiting." She seemed to remember the newcomer and before Mikkeline could get very far, she grabbed a hold of the girl's arm and pulled her back to Elsa's side. "Mikkeline, she'll need a place to sleep. Why don't you show her down to our quarters?"

The girl's face seemed to light up at that and she quickly began to untie her apron, pulling it off, and scurrying over to a rack nearby where she hung it haphazardly in place. She returned, feet light and practically skipping at the prospect before she took Elsa by her hand. It was a strange sensation, despite the fabric covering her skin. Elsa was always so careful about being touched, even after the Great Thaw. Moments later they were traveling down the narrow corridor leading away from the kitchens and towards the adjacent wing.

They traveled through the servant's dining hall and passed a few doors, all quiet. There was a single row of windows that let in the welcoming light into the building. No ice inside to be seen, but along the windowpanes, Elsa noticed the creeping signs of frost just outside. She turned away to instead focus on the ramblings that had begun.

"It isn't so bad, really," Mikkeline had started to explain. Her arm had wrapped underneath Elsa's in an intimate manner that seemed much more casual than the regal woman was used to. But she didn't pull away.

"I mean, we get supplies. And we can have the fires running as long and as hot as we'd like here. It's why he keeps away. He can't risk freezing it all, after all, the man still has to eat. Wouldn't do any good to keep his frozen slaves about the fires either, really. It's why he's kept us around as long as he has." There was a range of bitterness that laced a few of the words, but otherwise she continued to talk with excitement at the chance to gossip.

"Where do you get the food from?"

If the question was odd, the servant girl didn't show it, "He sends hunters out sometimes to refresh the meat supplies. We've got a small garden set up in a greenhouse that isn't great, but it's not frozen under ice at least. And there's a trade ship that comes in once a month for some other goods. And he's got arrangements with a few other kingdoms like the ones who are in right now. They just got in last night, you know. Tells us this morning we've to plan some special luncheon for them all and so we've all been scurrying around like mice with our heads cut off." Mikkeline stopped short, pulling Elsa to a halt with her even as her face pulled up in a grimace. "Well, maybe not that. That's pretty gruesome."

Her pace continued to remind Elsa of Anna and her heart longed to see even the broken image from earlier. She'd once walked this same path when they were just children, playing through the halls and stumbling on toes in her games of hide and seek. Long before she worried about exposing herself. Now, she was here under entirely different circumstances. "I still can't believe it," she breathed aloud.

"I know," Mikkeline offered, not really noticing the other woman's reverie. "When it all started happening we really didn't know what to think either. It didn't happen all at once though. It was pretty gradual. He just starting chipping away piece by piece until this is all the kingdom has been reduced to."

Mikkeline sighed as they came to a stop at a closed door. She pulled out a key from her pocket and began to unlock it even as she continued to talk, "I still remember it all. Waiting for the snow to melt and the fresh greens to start peeking through the ground like they'd just woken up from the most wonderful dream." There was a wistfulness in her voice. "I still hope to wake up one morning and that will happen again and I'll realize it was all just a dream."

She drew quiet for the first time, opening the door to reveal a rather large common room. The ceilings were high, not unlike Elsa's old bedroom. A few halls branched out from that and Mikkeline began to lead her down the closest one. She stopped outside a door and opened it to reveal a bedroom much nicer than Elsa had been expecting. It was larger than the room rented just the night before. Elsa swallowed at the memory and she was surprised at the sting it still left.

"Here we are," Mikkeline interrupted her thoughts with a smile, sending it towards Elsa. "It's not much, but it's one of the nicer ones too. You'll have the whole room to yourself. We've got so much space for us all now. Well, except for Dagny who rooms with Nedra, but that's so that they aren't sleeping alone. It usually gets easier, but it's okay if you'd feel more comfortable doing that too."

It almost felt as though she were looking for approval one way or another. Elsa quickly tried to settle her fears with a warm smile of her own, "No, no this is already very generous of you all."

It seemed to work and Mikkeline stepped in first, crossing the room until she reached the closed curtains. With a tug, she had pulled them back, sending some dust through the room that had her coughing in a mild fit. She gathered herself as she tied them back, letting the sunlight spread through. "You might as well be comfortable. You'll be here for...a very long time. No one ever leaves. At least..." She seemed embarrassed by that confession and Elsa bit down on her lip, not liking it any more than she did.

"I've got to go get you some clothes to change into. There's no reason to bundle up like you are anymore. At least not back there. Even if you get dragged into serving the King out front, he'll just complain if you are covered head-to-toe in a full coat and such. Which is ridiculous because it's just too damn cold out there, but, well...he's the King and bastard who..." Mikkeline caught herself, hand covering her mouth before she peeped, "Oh, I've gone spouting my mouth again. Nedra would scold me good if she heard."

The room fell into silence once more, Mikkeline looking everywhere but at Elsa. It was endearing. Elsa couldn't help but wonder if this girl was in the kitchens just a few days ago. When the world was normal and warm.

"Thank you, Mikkeline."

That seemed to bring the girl back to the present and her face lit up like a snowflake under the sun. "Oh, you're plenty welcome, Elsa." She glided towards the door once again, her hand settling on the handle. There was a moment when Elsa thought she might say something else, but she seemed to catch herself and instead went with a different line, "I'll be back with those clothes. You just...make yourself at home, as much as you can. The washrooms are out down the third hall." Mikkeline pointed in the direction, although Elsa couldn't see past her figure. "Everyone will be settling down for some lunch soon enough, so we'll head back there in a jiffy here."

A jiffy apparently meant several hours later, in fact, in which Elsa found herself changed into what they deemed more appropriate attire and seated at the servant's table with the others. They were all exhausted and the gossip of understaffed help filled the room against the steady flickering of the fireplace. The food was delicious, if some a little cooled by the time they had gotten to their own saved portions. The bread was just a little tougher than when it had first come out of the ovens. But it was the most delicious meal Elsa had remembered in some time.

She watched them all as they talked, animated faces reliving the days events and pausing to question her here and there. Mostly, they kept the conversation to their own events and for that, Elsa was grateful. She suspected they were stalling in the promised story, with which her tale would eventually lead. There was no reason to rush into it.

Attentions had turned to an animated Sofie who was recounting a poor-mannered dignitary and Elsa found her own drifting. Her gaze wandered to the windows beyond which the sun was beginning to set in an array of colors that spread across the wood framing. She had never felt so alone.

* * *

**A.N. - Sorry it took a little while to get up. Baby has had a rough week which has left me with very little free time. I know, there's no Hans. Sad days. What could he be up to?! We'll find out soon!**


	8. If Wishes Were Horses

Elsa couldn't look away from the brightness of the North Star. It hung in the sky, taunting her with it's steady glimmer. She pulled her coat closer at the chill. _If only_...

"I wish," she whispered, pleading up to the beacon in prayer.

"I've wished more times than I can count," Gerda spoke from the stop of the stairs. The older woman was walking down, her steps careful on the light covering of snow and ice that blanketed the alcove just outside the servant's wing. "If wishes were horses..."

Elsa's exposed fingers could feel the numbing touch in the tips. Gerda approached and offered her an open tin of snuff. It surprised the former queen. While not outlawed, it was not a substance encouraged in Arendelle and certainly not something the Gerda she had known would use. For a moment, Elsa thought she caught a hint of apricots before she shook her head in answer.

Gerda didn't seem bothered one way or the other at the refusal and only took a pinch for herself, whiffing the tobacco with the skill of one who has done it many times before. She pocketed the tin beneath an overcoat she had thrown on when she had asked Elsa to meet her outside, away from the others.

"It's from Germany, you know," Gerda explained. "He supplies it for me as a...reward. For my loyal services." There was a sad bitterness in her words.

She took a seat next to Elsa at the bottom step and the pair sat there, side by side. Once, Elsa might have recounted the times this woman had offered her warm words and a gentleness through her childhood. But now, there was little more than distant camaraderie in a time when everything seemed bleak.

"Dinner was wonderful," Elsa offered. "Thank you."

Gerda nodded, "It was all of the girls. We all have to stick together here. He gives us that little bit at least and we all cling to it with all that we have left."

_What happened_? She wanted to ask. The old servant wouldn't even look at her though. Had she been wrong in thinking she would get an answer this night?

There was a sigh and without any pleasantries, Gerda began to tell the tale.

"There are always old stories of the ancient days. Some tell of children cursed with powers of the elements. At first, the late King Adgar and Queen Idun kept their daughter's plight secret from us all. There were always questions though, about why her hair was as white as snow. Just like yours," Gerda allowed a glance over at the woman by her side.

Elsa's fingers found their way up to her hair as though the action might make a difference in the result. There was no changing of the appearance, however and she settled with a response to the unasked question, "I don't have any powers."

The older woman considered over the answer in a pause that lingered just a little too long to be comfortable. "I suppose not Or else you wouldn't be down here with us."

Gerda looked away again and let her small, dark eyes lift to the exposed stars in the open sky above. "She was a very rambunctious, headstrong child. Always dramatic but with the biggest smiles you ever did see." A fleeting smile found its way to her lips. "It was at a mid-summer ball when Princess Anna first displayed her abilities in public. She must have been hardly even six at the time, hair all up in pigtails. The ceiling started to fall with fresh snow all through the great hall. The good King and Queen tried to conceal it but then she started tossing snowballs at the guests right out of her bare hands. She was only a little girl. There was no hiding it then."

Elsa could only imagine. A smile of her own tugged at the corner of her lips despite herself. It was so very Anna.

"There were so many guests and word spread quickly. Doctors were fascinated and wanted opportunities to study her. The church wanted to exorcize the demons. Others merely wanted to come to satisfy their curious nature."

There was an ache that was forming as the story went along, yet Elsa couldn't help but feel fascinated at the idea of it. At the prospect of seeing how her little sister handled the responsibilities that came with such a curse. Longing. The possibility, however limited, that there was a kinship in this knowledge. Pity. At what she could only imagine the girl had to experience at such a young age. It was only part of what she had feared for herself.

"She thrived with the attention," Gerda continued. "Taking each with a grain of salt in the years that followed even as her parents tried to shield her from the politics of it all. And then He came."

The woman's dark gaze shifted towards the closed doorway back inside the building and then it traveled slowly around the outskirts of the small alcove. It offered a view of several halls and the rising towers that framed them. Lights were on here and there, but it was quiet and still in the evening hours. She had exposed the small tin once more and began to twirl it between her fingers. There was no need to take another whiff. From her lack of interest in it, Elsa assumed it was more for an occupation of her hands than anything. She was...terrified.

Gerda continued to explain the events that followed, "There was nothing extraordinary about him. He was a Duke of...some fancy place I'd never heard of before. He said it was far to the East and would talk about great beauties and wealth from his lands. The King and Queen entertained him and the prospects from what he was making in promises. They had never kept me or...Kai, in the dark about such matters." It was the first time she had said his name and there was a catch in her throat. "I know we were only the hands, but we were always family to them. Until he came. Then the secrets started. There was a look about their eyes and they would keep inside the gates longer and longer until one day they just stopped going among the people all together."

It had begun to snow again and the white flecks caught on the dark cap that concealed the woman's hair.

"The Princess was at that time just entering her sixteenth year of age. It was clear that the Duke had his eyes set on her. He was old enough to be her father. Her parents announced her engagement without her consent. There were many days of winter following that announcement, and yet she remained within the locked gates of the castle."

_Sixteen_? And at nearly nineteen Elsa had been put off by the idea of a sudden marriage. But that meant...Elsa put the numbers together, and none of it added up. This was further in the future than she had left it at. Not that it would have made much of a difference in the large scheme of things. _Would it_? She prayed not, if it would have an affect on returning...

Elsa pulled her coat tighter as the chill stung just a little deeper.

"Two weeks later, they were married," Gerda continued, drawing Elsa back to the story. "The next day, the good King and Queen both took mysteriously ill. The Princess, her hair had taken on some color, pale as it might be, and her new husband put on a prominent display of the powers that he had taken on for himself. I don't know how he did it. Witchcraft, or some other trickery of the worst kind. The good King and Queen were both laid to rest by the end of that week. So, began the reign of the Ice King."

Gerda seemed to have stopped in her tale and they both fell into silence for the moment. It ended quicker than Elsa had expected. But what did she expect? Morbid details into the expansion of his frozen kingdom? She had asked on Anna and the King's powers. By the expression that had overtaken the kind servant, she knew even this much was hard on the woman. She shouldn't expect anything more.

So why did her words start forward without her permission? "No one stood up against him?"

"What could they have done? What would you have done?"

"I would have fought," Elsa stated sincerely. She would have fought for her parents. She would have fought for her sister. She would have fought for all the people he had pushed into suffering. Into fear.

"The ones who did never lasted long. They were the first to begin disappearing." Gerda got up from her seat and brushed off the snow that had clung to her overcoat. Elsa noted it was much thinner than she had first thought. "Those of us who remain? We stay, because we have nothing left."

The older woman started her way back up the stairs. There was a pulled arch in her posture from an ache perhaps. It was so unlike the cheerful, twirling nature of the woman who walked freely down her halls on feet as light as a child's.

The door closed with a creaking shuffle. It hadn't closed entirely and was most likely still letting in a frigid breeze through the cracks.

Elsa looked away, pulling her legs up until her knees reached her chin. Just her heel remained at the edge of the step and even that felt insecure. Her arms hugged her legs more for support than protection from the cold. It also felt good to hug something. Anything.

_Who am I now_?

For all her courageous words, who was she and what could she do?

Elsa looked back up at the star. The clouds had gathered in a mass of gray that threatened to dull even the brightest lights. And yet there it was. The North Star. Shining in all its brilliant glory. A warmth began to collect in her chest. It wasn't much but it was there. A steady flame in the coldest nights.

She was Elsa. Queen of Arendelle. She had been born with those powers, curse or other, for a reason. It was dangerous. She was dangerous. But she was stronger than all of this. She would get them back and she would go home. Her real home.

Elsa closed her eyes and breathed in the bitterly cold air. It was hard and it stung at her nose and down her throat, but she welcomed it.

Her eyes opened and Elsa stretched her legs out until her shoes curled under the nearest patch of snow. It was distant but there was the slightest touch of something familiar that tugged at her. It was so far away...but it was still there. Hidden deep beneath the layers of skin and bone and blood...it was there.

She stood, lifting her chin proudly and straightening her back.

"I will find the way back," she vowed. Then Elsa turned and made her way up the steps until she too disappeared beyond the door into the warmth of the wing.

* * *

The next morning started before the sun rose.

They had been hard at work crafting fresh platters of strudels, kolache, shnecken, and other pastries. The smells filled the air and made the women's stomachs grumble enough that most would grab one or two for themselves even as they worked. It was a small luxury that none felt guilt over.

The others had been pleasantly surprised to find that Elsa could pour a proper cup of tea with the grace of royalty and so she had been assigned the task of helping Gerda at the dining table for the King and his guests when they were to arrive. In the meantime, she had busied herself with the cutting of fruit and some other general organization of platters as they came ready.

One thing she was quickly learning was that the King did enjoy putting on a show. It was excessive and inappropriate given the situation just outside his gates. It would only be a matter of time before she could find the time to steal away and get to the library. That had to be her foremost task.

Elsa narrowly diverted spilling the sugar cup on herself as Dagny practically bumped into her. The girl had just rounded the corner into the kitchen and her eyes were wide as saucers as she met Elsa's. It was only then that Elsa realized the blond girl hadn't been in the kitchen with them all morning. But, if she was not...

Dagny looked away and tried to start making her way through the kitchens as quickly as she could, her feet gliding across the ground as if not to make a noise.

It was in vain, however, and Nedra was the first to speak up, "Where have you been, girl?"

The blond girl stopped in her tracks and blushed a shade of red that seemed to answer the question well enough to the others. The rest went about their business, ignoring any further questions and instead focusing on the work ahead of them all.

Only Nedra was left and even her voice softened, "Go...wash up and get back in here. We could use the extra hands."

She didn't need to be asked again and Dagny's eyes turned back to the ground as she quickly finished crossing the kitchens to make her way to the rooms.

Elsa's attention was pulled away as the first platters seemed ready to make an appearance. Gerda shuffled her along until the first tray of condiments, tea water, and coffee was in her hands and her feet were bringing her out of the kitchens to the awaiting guests. Gerda followed close behind with a basket of hot rolls and pastries that would placate them for a while at least.

It was surprising how few she recognized. All the more reminder about how far behind in experience she had with the surrounding countries despite her years of training. Still, she picked up on a few of the accents and even some of the conversations. There were some from Germany. Another from Finland from the symbol embroidered on his sleeve. One from Weselton, much to her disgust. It was in her nature to notice they were primarily men.

The King's gaze fell on her with a lingering appraisal but he said nothing, instead turning back to his conversations and holding his cup out for a morning's coffee.

She had moved onto a tea that she was pouring for a stout bearded dignitary when the doors to the dining hall opened and one of the armored guards strode in, heading confidently for the front of the table. He came to a halt and his armor clinked as his legs came together, arm sweeping under his torso as he dropped into a well-practiced bow, "Your Highness, the Duke of Liemiera has arrived."

"Two days late!" the King managed after nearly choking on a roll.

"A day and a half at the most!" was the correction as a bearded, darkly-clad man strode confidently into the dining hall. Despite her curiosity, Elsa turned away again after allowing herself a glance. She tried to keep her ears open, going to the next seat and dropping in two sugars at the man's request.

"Is this what you call hospitality? I was nearly accosted at the gates!"

The King laughed richly and stood from his seat with an outstretched arm, "Excuse my men. They are around so few nobility these days. Have a seat. The food is piping hot, only the best you remember, of course. You can entertain us with your tardy excuse, which I can only imagine is one of the most extraordinary detail. Who is this?"

There was another figure, standing tall at the heel of the first. Elsa glanced up just in time for the answer and she nearly fumbled the pot in her hand, narrowly escaping the hot liquid from falling into an accompanying Duchess' lap.

"Ah," the Duke seemed to remember himself and he spun on his heel with and introductory wave of his arm. "Might I introduce a very good friend of mine and my very reasoning for such a late appearance: Prince Hendrik Westergard of the Southern Isles."

Elsa didn't know how long she stood there but it was certain it was much longer than was ever appropriate for a servant to stare at a visiting royal. Her blue eyes widened with the flood of emotions that only gripped tighter at her every being when the man's hazel eyes met with her own. She had never been so confused, nor glad, nor terrified in all of her life. She didn't know how or why, but Hans had returned.

* * *

**A.N. - Who? What? How? Answers coming soon. Until then, I'd love to hear your thoughts so please review!**


	9. A Light In The Hollows

_One Day Ago_

The air was cold but it was different than the brisk breezes that flowed openly between the trees and under the watchful eye of the sun. Instead, it was stale and damp. Oaken held a lantern which lit their path and reflected off the dark stone surrounding the two men as they walked. It almost looked wet but when Hans put an exposed palm against the cold surface it was only the smooth texture itself that gave such an appearance.

It was a ladder that had taken them down into the depths and then they walked mostly in silence. The smaller man absently wondered if he wasn't being taken down in order to disappear, never to be seen again. It wouldn't be such an unwarranted act.

Oaken broke the silence at one point, his voice sounding much louder than it was inside the passage, "These tunnels go back as far as when the ancient gods walked these lands."

"There is only one God," Hans responded from years of indoctrinated mantra.

Oaken stopped briefly and his head turned around to face the former Prince, "Oh?" There was no judgment there, nor malice. Only a suggestion of doubt. He turned away once more and continued along his way.

His large figure had a surprising amount of room in the surroundings. Some appeared natural while others held the chisel marks of mankind. As they traveled, the stone opened up to several wide caverns where large columns reached up to the ceilings and stalactites draped like icicles. The small amount of light illuminated them just enough to cast intimidating shadows like great, imagined lands. Oaken didn't seem concerned with those, however, and kept them on the path.

It was hard for Hans to tell which direction they had now turned or how long they had been walking. He was always better under an open sky where he had the stars to guide him. Eventually though, there came the echoes of activity and the stench of fresh sweat. A few twisting bends later and Hans was able to see why.

Men, guards and otherwise, were working among a variety of crated supplies and arms in a cavern that opened up. It had clearly gotten use as there were doors build into the stone and several lights even had made their way inside through holes along the top. Hans gripped the strap of his sack tighter as he moved out the way of one of the men when they walked past him.

The large man lifted his arm up with a wave of his fingers and a cheery "Yoohoo!" across the room. It garnered a few turned heads and broad smiles although his target was the only one who made his way over.

"Oaken!"

He was a petite sort of man, a good head shorter than Hans, with light feet that carried him quickly over to the pair. Once he reached the shopkeeper his smile fell and Oaken dropped down, whispering into the man's ear. He nodded in response, cool blue eyes shifting back to Hans and then back to the giant once more. As much as he tried, their voices were expertly low and Hans couldn't make out a word. The smaller man nodded once again and motioned off to the left. He patted Oaken on the shoulder and took off again, disappearing behind the curves of a linking passage.

Oaken stood a little straighter and motioned for Hans to follow again, his smile just a little wider than it had been.

They stopped before a door that seemed like it was meant for a child compared to the large man. He rapped on the wood and was responded with an offer to enter from the other side. The door opened and Oaken held it for Hans, letting him enter the room first. Hans didn't hide his confusion but ducked his head to avoid hitting the frame himself.

Inside, the ceiling was higher than he was expecting it to be. Oaken still had to dip his shoulders a little as he walked into the room and crossed to where there was another man waiting. He had been hunched over a table that was sprawled with maps and documents, looking up only once Oaken got within range and the two began to exchange soft words.

He was a lean, handsome man, about Hans' height, with much darker features shown in the shade of his wavy hair that had been pulled back in an elegant tail at the back of his neck. His beard was carefully trimmed in the ways of nobility with striking jawlines that Hans knew from only one man, "Ragnvald?"

The stranger's attention was instantly on Hans and his eyes narrowed with apprehension. He shared a look with Oaken, but the larger man only shrugged as an answer.

"Do I know you?" he addressed Hans.

Of course the Duke wouldn't have known him. He wouldn't have remembered their meetings. Nor the wedding in which Hans' brother had married his cousin. Nor the camaraderie that developed through the years as they complained at the dullness of court life in their youth. But the surprise of it all had made it impossible for him to keep his tongue apparently, "Not exactly. It's complicated."

Hans dropped his sack at his feet and took the moment to look around the rest of the room. There wasn't much to it. The walls were clearly restructured by hand from the smoothness of the walls. The lighting at least was better inside than it was out, with several lanterns gathered around the table.

The man had been talking with Oaken a little more before he gave a nod. Oaken, for his part, went back to the door and closed them both inside. He then went to a nearby chair off to the side and took a seat. It made one imagine he was sitting on a child's chair, for what good it did with his height. Still, he seemed comfortable enough and carefully folded his hands in his lap as he waited and listened quietly for what was to come.

"What's your name?" Ragnvald had approached Hans and had done a quick appraisal. He was adorned in black fabric that was well tailored and there was a symbol of the Kingdom of Liemiera on his collar. The bright red and white stood out like a beacon and the griffon arched as though ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Much like the man who wore it, despite his straightened back and the arms crossed over his chest.

"Hans," the former Prince answered. There could be limited claim of formal titles this day. "Of the Southern Isles."

The darkly-clad man snickered with some joke perhaps and he repeated the words, "Of the Southern Isles?" His gaze was firm with only a flicker up to the red of Hans' hair before he continued, "You look strikingly like them. Are you a bastard their mother hid away?"

"Don't..." Hans had been ready to defend his mother, but caught himself. This man was little more than a stranger. He also knew how these games were played and the risks he was about to take. It was decided to hold his tongue and focus on the task at hand, "I asked and was willing to pay for information. That's all. If I've come to the wrong place, tell me. I've already wasted enough time."

"What would you do with that information?"

"Get into Arendelle," Hans answered. "And then get back out."

"No one leaves Arendelle," Oaken remarked from his seat.

"I'm going to," Hans stated with a conviction that surprised even himself.

"You sound confident in yourself" Ragnvald noted. "Who are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Ragnvald smirked and there was a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. He turned away and crossed to his table, falling into the seat on the other side. Once he was comfortable, feet propping up on top in a way that defied his very upbringing, he motioned for Hans to sit across from him.

"Tell me and then maybe I'll see what I can do with your request."

Hans looked between the two men as they waited. He could have spun a tale. He was good enough at those. He could have twisted the truth to something that was more believable, given the circumstances. Instead, however, Hans found himself taking the offered seat and beginning his tale. He left out a few parts here and there but even included his reason for his imprisonment. There was a quirk of an eyebrow at that revelation, yet Ragnvald remained silent until he had completed the moment he had left Elsa on her own.

Silence followed, interrupted only by a low, drawn whistle of disbelief from Oaken.

Of course, they wouldn't believe them. He wouldn't have believed him. "I know. It sounds...impossible."

"Well, I suppose you could have claimed to be the Tooth Fairy." Ragnvald remarked. There was another pause and his hands had come up, the tips played along each other as he seemed to mull over the tale. Eventually, he asked, "We knew each other, in this world you've come from?"

"On and off," Hans began to answer, leaning back in his seat with a little more confidence than even a moment earlier. "We...managed a few tricks with the ladies usually from the time we were old enough and introduced in courts. You always did prefer the blonds. Especially when they strapped themselves in lace so tightly that you thought they might pop if they let themselves smile. You used to have this odd fascination with the married ones though. I never understood it. The younger ones were easier to convince into bed, but you...I remember there was this one, Madame Trepanier. You used to say she had the bosom of an amazon and the... "

Ragnvald chimed in and the two men finished together, "...buttocks of Aphrodite." It earned a broad grin from them both.

The table shifted just a little as Ragnvald removed his boots from the surface, "So, this Queen, she thinks these...Trolls, might have the answer?"

Hans sat up a little straighter with surprise, "You believe me?"

Ragnvald chuckled with more amusement than was expected, "Arendelle is in an eternal winter caused by someone who should have never been allowed to become a king, let alone be given the sort of power he now possesses. I wouldn't be surprised if fae danced under the moonlight and the elves snuck in after dark to perform their tricks."

"Let's hope for now that this is the only supernatural threat to be corrected."

"It also helps that for some reason, Oaken has decided that you and your companion are trustworthy. He's usually rather picky." Ragnvald gave an appreciative nod to the large man who smiled widely and bowed his head in response. He remained silent, otherwise, and let the other man continue on to more serious questions, "Lets say you get in there, assuming that this Queen of yours is there and still alive. Then, assuming we can get you both back out of the city. And assuming we can find you these Trolls of yours. Then what? They'll just send you both back to wherever you came from?"

"We didn't come from anywhere else. We came from here. Just...it was different. It was all different. And...happy, for most." Hans added the last bit more quietly than the rest. If he had noticed, Ragnvald didn't remark on the tone. The question had to be asked though and sounded with a hint more desperation than he intended, "Will you help me?"

"You pose a...complicated request," Ragnvald replied. He sighed, casting a gaze to Oaken before he sat up straightly and leaned forward with elbows on the table. His voice dropped in tone, leaving no doubt at his seriousness, "Let me ask you, Hans, what would you be willing to do to get in there?"

Hans looked between the two men before answering, "I have the feeling you're about to tell me."

"What do you think you know about the Southern Isles?" Ragnvald watched carefully as he awaited the following answer.

"That's a rather loaded question. My father, King Sigurd was still in power with my mother, Yvonne. I have twelve older brothers..."

"Twelve?"

"Yes," Hans replied. From the tone in the other man's voice, he expected the number did not add up in this version of the world. He tried to push away the unpleasant sensation that built up in his chest. "How many are left?"

Ragnvald leaned back again, resting an elbow on the arm of the chair, "It's unknown. My last reports were that there were seven remaining Westergards. I've had no word on exactly which ones. Lars, I can tell you can be removed from that list, however. He was lost when he was but a boy."

_Lars_? "What do you mean?" Hans had always liked that brother. He had been from Elise, the King's first wife, but he had always been good to Hans and the other younger brothers. "What happened to my brother?"

"Went out fishing at the age of fourteen and never came back. They found his boat on the rocks just a few miles away from the castle."

"He never went alone. He'd always bring Hendrik or...me." The last word faded on his lips as the implication hit him full on. If he had never been born, he had never been there for his brother. And if Hendrik stayed behind...Hans remembered a few times he was there for Lars, pointing out one thing or another as they took the small sailing dory out.

"Careful what you wish for," Ragnvald remarked, noting the other man's distant expression. "As for the others, that's still up for debate. The Southern Isles are still a wealthy enough alliance if they could get themselves back under control. Over the past few years pirates have been raiding the shores and taken over the western passes entirely. The eastern are still being contested over but the Navy is weakened and they are floundering. If that falls, it will make passage and trade with Arendelle even more difficult."

There was a lift of hope at the news and Hans' mind worked over the details, "Then we have leverage."

Ragnvald chuckled, "We?"

"I...have leverage," Hans corrected. "I know those waters like the back of my hand. If I can convince this King..."

"Viggo," Oaken supplied from the side of the room.

"...King Viggo, that I bear news from the Southern Isles Navy..."

Ragnvald gave a wave of his hand, fingers twirling as he pointed out the obvious, "Dressed like that?"

He had a point and Hans looked down at his own attire. It did well enough just to get buy. Sturdy enough even for traveling. But not for diplomacy. "I admit, it is not my finest."

"Fate would have seen you to my door. It would be a shame if I didn't open it." Ragnvald rose from his seat. "It happens, that you are not the only man with a reason to get into those gates."

He began pacing a few steps away, back turned to Hans and only turning on his heels when he started explaining, "Our last contact went silent just a few weeks ago. Before then, however, he supplied us with details concerning the King's icy touch. It was nearly seven years ago that he stole the princess' powers and killed the old King and Queen. Then took their daughter. There's two factors: The spell he used to take the powers from her and the key he keeps them contained with."

"Contained?"

"The princess...well, Queen now I suppose you could call her...she was born with it. Don't know how, but that's a matter aside. When he took the powers, his body wasn't built to keep them. We've learned he has an anchor to keep it under control." Ragnvald leaned against a chest on the back wall and after a sigh from the recollection, he continued, "The first few years were the hardest. Aside from his complete madness that has nothing to do with the ice, the man couldn't contain it all. This part of the world was consumed in a blizzard that lasted a good two years. He lost the largest number of his populous those two years. To conform to the environment he learned how to bring them back, in a way. Freezing their hearts until they were walking shadows of themselves, willing to be his servants for far less than they might before. The whole thing...it's disgusting. And he doesn't stop. The worry is, among the other realms, is that he'll be discontent soon enough an start spreading his control. He's already got many kingdoms under his thumb with his threats. It can't be left to continue."

"And that's where you come in."

"That's where I come in." The man smiled then. A smile of hope and a little bit of pride. "If there was a way to transfer these powers, then there is a way to remove them. If we can remove them...we can take back the kingdom."

"Why are you telling me this," Hans asked. He was nothing more than a stranger to this man here and yet he had just entrusted him with delicate information.

"I need someone willing to get in there with me," Ragnvald admitted. "I was going to have one of my men, but what better opportunity than to bring along Prince Hendrik of the Southern Isles."

"Prince Hendrik...?" Hans was processing the information and the pieces clicked together. It wouldn't hurt to have someone already familiar, like he claimed, with the details of the Kingdom and the lifetime of training as a prince. It wasn't uncommon for royalty to travel together and if nothing else it would be a distraction.

Ragnvald took the silence for doubt, "Afraid you can't pull it off?"

"Of course I can pull it off," Hans countered firmly.

"Good," Ragnvald smiled widely, pushing himself back to his feet. He gave a wave over at the attire once more, "We've some details to go over and you'll need something more appropriate than...that." He turned again, unlatching the chest as he began to sort through it, clearly looking for something. "We'll leave before first light in the morning."

"How'd you get involved in all of this?" The question hung in the air for a moment. It was an odd feeling, seeing someone he had once known fairly well but now...he was like a shadow of what Hans had known. The man he had known was carefree and frivolous, staying out of politics if he could help it. "Really. You were a good soldier, but I find it hard to believe you were just picked at random."

The other man pulled out some pants and a vest fancier than Hans would have liked. He didn't turn around as he answered, "You said you knew me. How else would I get involved, but for a woman."

It was another unfamiliar trait. The Ragnvald he had known never let himself get serious, "Is she still there?"

"No. Not any more." His shoulders dropped a little and his voice was quiet. "But this...this I'm going to see through for her." Straightening, Ragnvald turned, clothes draped over his arm. He seemed confident, "Just like you will for yours." Hans briefly wanted to correct his old friend, but found he was right.

Ragnvald motioned to Oaken next and the large man stood from his relatively small chair. The clothes were exchanged, "I need these ironed and presentable for tomorrow."

Hans stood from his own seat, "How are you planning to get us in?"

The Duke smirked with a shake of his head. He retrieved a letter off the table and tossed it at Hans who caught it easily. It didn't take much more than a glance to see that it was a formal invitation.

"Through the front door."

* * *

**A.N.- I promise, more Hans/Elsa interaction coming up! To everyone who has been reviewing, thank you so much! I love hearing back from you all. To everyone lurking, I really hope you are enjoying the story so far!**


	10. Of Plans And Promises

There was a cough that brought Elsa back to the moment and she carefully poured the next glass. The emissary from Weselton gave a snort of displeasure but began the careful ministrations of preparing the poured beverage even as it steamed up the frame on his glasses. Whereas the weaselly Duke had been short, this man was as much the opposite with a tall, lanky frame and ginger hair that was beginning to thin in the back. Elsa was not going to be the one to inform him of such a feature if he was not already aware.

Hans avoided her gaze as the two newcomers were extended a seat at the table. They talked, discussing the weather on the seas and the ill fortunes of the navy's extensions. Still, he avoided her gaze even as she poured coffee into his cup.

"I'm certain you are overdue to freshen up after such a harrowing journey!" King Viggo waved at one of his guards who then issued forward a female servant clad in the blue ice that Elsa had yet to grow accustomed to. It seemed to make several of the dignitaries uncomfortable including Hans who stiffened at the sight and leaned in to mutter to the Duke.

"Begging your apologizes, Your Majesty," the Duke spoke up. "My good friend here has not been witness to your rather unique hospitalities."

"I suppose I surround myself with them so much I almost forget." There was a tone of amusement in his voice that countered any hint of an apology even if he were to offer it. His laugh issued a hum of echo among the others.

"If you would do us the honor of having one of the other lovely ladies here escort us..." the Duke continued with a wave of his raised mug in Elsa's direction while casting her a flirtatious wink.

There was an unattractive snort of disapproval from the King followed by the slamming of his fist on the table, "Do you hear that? Elsa, wasn't it?" He motioned her over with a curl of one finger. She cast a pleading glance at Gerda for help but the woman was lifting away some emptied plates for cleaning.

Elsa breathed in and lifted her chin, keeping the pot firm in her grasp as she stepped in towards the King. "Yes, Your Majesty," she answered, carefully repeating the Duke's formal address.

The King pulled her in by the waist and it took everything for her not to pull away. His breath was sweeter than she expected.

"No doubt this pretty face of yours. I've hardly had the time for it myself and yet these two would like to steal you away for themselves. Is that it?" He once again cast his gaze upon the darkly attired Duke who gave a bow of the head.

"Steal? I wouldn't dream of it. It was only a suggestion from a man who has spent far too many days at sea. I admit, the idea of following behind one such as her is much more appealing." He gave an apologetic glance to the frozen servant who was being passed over. "No offense, milady. Although you do make for a pretty picture yourself." If the woman was offended she gave no notice of it.

"You do need to get a feel for directions if you're to be summoned," the King once more addressed Elsa. She could feel his breath warm on her throat and she swallowed. "Gerda," he called, and the older woman was at his side, plates in hand.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" She dropped into a curtsey.

The King slid his arm from Elsa, passing her with ease to the side of the other servant. "Take her with you when you show the Prince and the Duke to their quarters. In fact, send out the blonde when you have the others replace you both out here. The morning is still early. Make sure she's presentable."

Gerda curtsied again with respect and hissed under her breath at Elsa until she did the same. Together, they returned to the kitchens to make the arrangements.

* * *

The Duke of Liemiera was bold in his actions and confident in every step as they traveled down the freezing halls of the castle. Ice clung to the walls with tangling spines that reminded Elsa of a great maw of teeth. Their breath released in white mists but it didn't seem to deter the Duke from his continuous rattling. Thankfully, he had chosen Gerda as his occupant and showered her with compliments and questions that she deftly avoided at every turn.

Hans remained silent the entire way and Elsa didn't spare him a look.

Gerda would offer details on the halls they were taking but there was very little that Elsa paid mind to. The halls were familiar. Like old friends. They were all she had known once.

They stopped outside the first of the guest chambers where Gerda unlocked the door with a given key and offered it to the Prince.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here, Your Highness," she offered with the opened door. "Will there be anything else you need?"

Hans gave a nod to the Duke and then addressed the servant, "Now that you mention it..." He reached out and took Elsa by the wrist. She gasped with surprise and at the same time his fingers slipped down further until they curled their way into her hand and he pulled her towards the room. "Privacy."

He closed the door behind them both, leaving a stunned Gerda and the Duke with a broad smile on his face. There was a hearty laugh and he pat Gerda on the shoulder, "He'll take good care of her, I'm sure."

"But the King..."

"Doesn't have to know." He pocketed the second key from her. "Go along then. He'll have her back by supper, I'm sure."

For a minute it looked as though she might fight it but then Gerda gave a sigh of defeat and left the Duke to unlock his own door. She had stopped putting her nose into things years ago.

* * *

"Are you crazy?!"

"I've been wondering that lately myself," Hans answered, finally letting himself take a more thorough look over her. The extensive assessment made her mildly uncomfortable, putting aside the warmth that spread at realizing he was truly there. "Are you all right?'

There was a vulnerability in his tone that took her by surprise. She was considering her answers, some more biting in a way Anna might have approved of, but there was a worry behind his eyes that had Elsa respond with a candid, "Yes."

"Truthfully, I was worried I would have to scour the city for you first." He seemed to realize that he still held onto her hand. Hans let go and Elsa curled her fingers up underneath her palm.

"Why?" The question was asked. Perhaps later, Elsa would let herself mull over the _Hows_ but she still was having difficulty wrapping her head around the simple fact that this man was standing in front of her. She had expected to be on her own. She had expected he had already left as he claimed.

He wet his bottom lip and dipped his chin, surprise in his gaze at the question, "Why what?"

"Why are you here?"

The question hung in the air. Her tone mixed innocent bewilderment with a skeptical accusation that Hans believed only the Ice Queen could manage with such elegance. If she had realized how close she still stood, Elsa didn't give any signs of it. His directions had taken a few turns along the way, yet there was only one answer in the end of it all: "I came back for you."

"You're here for...me?" It was not an answer Elsa had expected and her words faltered. There was such sincerity behind his eyes that she wondered if that was what Anna had once seen. That memory was enough to pull her from the natural course of any romantic aspirations.

He seemed to sense the change. Straightening his posture, Hans delivered a roguish smirk that had an air of confidence Elsa had yet to see across his face until that moment. "Who else was going to get the Queen of Arendelle out of this little predicament?"

Did he really think her so weak? "I can get myself out."

"I'm sure you can," he added, avoiding pointing out her admission at such a situation's existence in the first place. "But even you have to admit, the odds are much higher with some help."

"I thought our arrangements no longer held any value."

His confident smile quickly dropped. He had left. The understanding was clear between them both. Hans had the decency to look away as the familiar pangs of disappointment began to crawl their way up.

He took a chance and looked back, feeling the need to explain, "We both were sent here for a reason. God only knows why. Maybe I am just a fool for coming back here but I couldn't just leave you. Not after hearing what has happened to Arendelle. Not if you didn't know."

He couldn't take the way her eyes followed his every word. The way she listened intently for the hint of some underlining motive. What more should she expect? He was a man of many words and he had shown little in the way of honor. Hans breathed a sigh of frustration, his finger running through the hair over one ear, brushing it back into place. She couldn't know how it had hit him unexpectedly. How the thought of seeing her fall like the rest made his heart clench with failure.

He remembered raising his sword...

"I have nothing to gain out of going back. My family would rather see me locked out of sight for all they care. I've spent years trying to be what I thought was expected. I made a mistake. And I'm sorry."

The apology was out and still she remained silent. He wished she would say something. Anything. When she didn't, he found himself filling the silence himself, "I'm sorry for Anna. I'm sorry for all my actions that followed. I'm sorry I left." Even now, in the garbs of a servant, she held herself like a queen. "I'm here, because I couldn't forgive myself if something more were to happen to you. It's haunted me every night since I left Arendelle. Your face. Anna's face. You never leave. All those nights I've asked for forgiveness a hundred times over and in no scenario have you ever granted it. Here I am, being given a chance, a small, ridiculous chance to recover my soul, and I'm still floundering like a fool."

They dropped into silence, Hans on a bended knee before the Queen.

When she spoke, his heart froze, "I don't know if I can forgive you." Had the room seemed so cold just a few minutes ago? "I can give you a chance." His eyes met hers and neither could tear them away. Had the pull always been so strong? Hans wondered if she felt it too.

"Don't leave again," she softly commanded. There was a layer of pleading desperation but she never would have admitted to it.

"Never," he answered immediately. "I will pledge myself to you, in this moment, if you would have me. I swear to your protection and my loyalties to you, Queen Elsa, until such a time as you would release me."

There was an uncomfortableness at the severity of his expression and the unexpected declaration. It was overwhelming and Elsa felt the need to lighten both of their spirits, "Just Elsa." She reached down and took the man by the elbow as she guided him back to his feet. He seemed to require an explanation and she was willing to offer one, "Until we get...back, I am just Elsa."

"It doesn't change my pledge to you."

"What if we never get back?"

"It still changes nothing."

"You could still disappear," she suggested. "Live a life of an unknown. Wherever you'd wish it."

"And your face would still follow." He breathed only to release a shallow sigh, shaking his head, "That man you met, I can't lie and say that wasn't me. I'm familiar with easy targets. I know the games they play in court. I've grown watching my brothers cheat and manipulate their way into power. I can tell you that it was never the man I wanted to be."

"Who is it that you want to be?"

"An honorable man."

If he was attempting a play on her emotions, it was a battle she found herself losing. There was an openness in his eyes that she wasn't used to and it suddenly terrified her. As a deterrence, Elsa quirked her brow with amusement at the idea, blurting out, "An honorable man who stole a young maid into his chambers?"

Her smile brought out one of his own once more, "I've yet to hear any protest from the maid."

There was a thoughtful hum as Elsa's thoughts replayed the moments since that door had closed behind her. With the subject shifted back, she needed to the next course of action, "I need to get to the library." Hans seemed to notice the change and his brow narrowed as he waited further details. "There should be a map to the Trolls there. Once I have it, we just need to find a way out of here."

It was simple enough. Wasn't it?

"We?"

There had been no mention of her acceptance to his admissions nor of his pledge. Not until her lips turned up with an almost playful hint, "Yes. We. Do you object to my proposal, Prince Hendrik of the Southern Isles?"

"Not at all," he answered quickly. The warmth of his smile had been unexpected. Elsa wished he showed it more often. Then it fell as he seemed to remember, "Except..."

"Except?"

"Except I can't exactly leave quite yet. Map or not."

"But you just said..."

She swore there was a flush to his cheeks and he briefly rubbed just behind an ear, "I know. And there are a few reasons lingering out there for why I can't."

"I don't understand."

Hans took a breath before turning away, just to turn back with an introduction to his predicament, "You, yourself, have asked. What if it doesn't work? The Trolls, I mean. What if they can't send us back to how things were?"

"And?"

"If it doesn't work, there needs to be some sort of back up plan. If we can't return, I know this isn't the way that you want things to stay. Even from the very limited viewpoint that we've experienced, we both know that these people can't continue the way that everything is."

"You're worried about the people now?" Elsa couldn't hide her surprise.

"I always was. Despite my actions around your coronation, I made every effort with them." There was a defensive sharpness to his tone that continued with the rest, "And now, I've made a promise. In order to get my way in here with some credibility, I've agreed to help Ragnvald on his business with the charming King Viggo."

There was an undignified scoff, "Charming my..."

A smile quickly filled his features again as he cut off her rant, "Such words from a Queen!"

Elsa rolled her eyes at his condemnation. Still, she couldn't help but smile back. She shifted her posture, folding her arms with a dip of her chin, "So, what exactly are your plans with the Duke?"

Hans was more than happy to explain it to her in detail. Despite the added complication, the rightful Queen found a new sense of lightness in her chest at the prospect of taking the King down. She had neglected to address her sister's placement in all of it and was grateful that Hans didn't ask. From the rest of the details he had proceeded to explain there was little doubt he had heard enough of the story to know that, due to fates and circumstance, Anna was very little like the bright soul they had come to know.

Elsa insisted she waste no time in getting to the library, which was just as well since Hans was scheduled with a more personal meeting between himself, the Duke, and the King later that afternoon. That would leave no opening for the King to interrupt Elsa's search. Perhaps, now that she knew what else to look for, there was a chance she might come across details into his powers.

It was only the chime of a clock that startled her into recognizing just how long she had been concealed within his room.

"I should get back," Elsa uttered apologetically as she rose from the seat that had drawn her into its comfort just minutes prior. She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks in a way that she was unaccustomed to. "It's already been far longer than is proper."

Hans rose with her and stepped in close enough that she could feel the shift in warmth increasing between them.

"Then don't let them think it's proper," he grinned, confidently reaching up behind her head. She almost stepped away but he had already unfastened the right pins so that her braid fell out of place and down over her shoulder."I may have been the maker of a scandal or two in the past. It isn't uncommon." Of course he would have been. Perhaps it was something in her expression that caused him to add, "It's only a part we both have to play for a little longer."

Elsa had forgotten the way that her hair made her feel when it was down. Her own fingers reached up and loosened it just that little bit more to be comfortable before stepping away.

As she turned for the door Hans caught her by the hand. His fingers were warm against hers and they slipped through effortlessly. He tugged just enough to pull her back towards him and before she could react, Elsa was facing him and her hand was lifted to his lips. It was little more than a flutter at first, the moment his lips made contact with the back of her fingers, but her eyes widened and her heart stopped for just that moment. Then, they were warm like the brightest fire.

It was over before she could breathe and Hans had released her hand. She had to remember to bring it back.

"Be safe," he whispered.

Elsa couldn't answer so instead she just gave a single nod. She turned away, fingers lingering on the door handle.

"You too," she managed softly before opening the door and leaving Hans alone in the room wondering what had just happened.

* * *

**A.N.- Took a bit longer than I'd expected. I hope you all like it! **


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